Happily Never After
by Ying-Fa-dono
Summary: The women of Storybrooke are disappearing and the people are living in terror when Hope appears in the form of two traveling brothers with a secret almost as big as the town's. Sam and Dean Winchester join Emma Swan in the search for the missing women.
1. Hunted

**Ying-Fa: Okay, people, I haven't done a lot a crossovers before but...I guess I just couldn't resist! Supernatural and Once Upon A Time! I'm super nervous, so if you could kindly let me know what you think, that would be stupendous. Please, do enjoy friends!**

She ran as fast as she could, dodging trees and branches that tore at her skirt. Her pale skin stood out blindingly in the dark of the woods as she fled from her assailant. Her short, black hair was sticking to her forehead and tears of terror streaked down from her emerald eyes. She didn't stop, even though her legs felt like they were on fire. She kept going, even with her heart pounding its way out of her chest. All she knew was she had to escape. She couldn't get caught. If she did, it was over…

Mary Margaret only dared to slow down when she saw lights popping in her vision and she was almost completely out of breath. She stood there, in the darkness, alone and terrified. She stared around, looking for the thing that was chasing her, but she couldn't see it anymore. Mary Margaret let out a few choking sobs. She'd never been more afraid in her entire life.

She needed help and fast. She had to find her way back to town and find Emma or David or anyone who would be able to save her. But she'd run too far, too blindly. She didn't have a clue where she was. She thought she knew these woods so well but, in her horror and desperation, she'd run too far into unknown parts of the forest. She didn't know where to start. She was stuck out here, alone, with that _thing_ after her.

When it no longer hurt to breathe, Mary Margaret got to her feet again and began jogging slightly through the woods. She glanced around for any kind of landmark that would help her find her way back into town. There was hardly any light to speak of. There was no moon and the tall trees obscured the stars and she couldn't make out any lights from the town.

After a few minutes of desperate searching, despair creeped into Mary Margaret's heart and she burst into tears. She was so scared and she had nowhere to go, no way to get back. There was nobody to help her in case that thing came back. She lifted her head and, through her tears, she saw something unnatural. A tall, green road sign with the words "Leaving Storybrooke" printed on it. So that's where she was! She was at the very edge of town. She hurried towards the road, almost giddy with relief. She saw lights in the distance and heard a car approaching.

"Here! Over here!" Mary Margaret called, waving her arms in an attempt to catch the attention of the car as it rounded the corner to enter the town. She was beside herself with relief. In a few minutes the nightmare would be over and she would be home…

The sound of breaking branches and quick pounding came from behind her. Mary Margaret turned around and saw what was coming after her. Her scream echoed throughout the woods.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Dean's head snapped to the side, staring into the large stretch of dark forest. He slowed the car down to a stop and squinted into the darkness, trying to see if he could make anything out.

"Sam?" he said, loudly. "Sammy!"

Sam woke with a start. "Wh-what?" he said, groggily. "What's the matter?"

"Did you hear something?" Dean asked, still looking into the woods.

Sam groaned. "Dean, I was sleeping…"

Dean unbuckled his seat belt and stepped out of the car without another word. Sam started and went after him. "Dean? Hey, Dean!"

The elder of the two brothers marched into the woods, with Sam following closely. Dean marched into the undergrowth, his ears pricked for any sound other than twigs and dry leaves being crunched under his feet.

"What did you hear?" Sam asked, after a few minutes of unexplained walking.

"I don't know," Dean replied, not looking at his brother and focusing on the woods. "A scream, maybe? I'm not sure."

The mention of a scream made Sam take the sudden "drop-everything-and-investigate" persona of his brother all the more serious. They scanned the forest for a good fifteen minutes, but didn't see or hear anything further.

"You're sure you heard something?" Sam dared to ask after awhile.

"I was," said Dean, now becoming less convinced himself.

"Hey, there's a town up ahead," said Sam, glancing back and noticing the "Welcome to Storybrooke" sign. "Maybe we should report it."

"Good idea," said Dean. "Come on, let's go."

The two brothers retreated to their car, unnoticing Dean's foot just barely avoiding stepping on an abandoned driver's license with the name "Mary Margaret Blanchard" half hidden in the dirt.


	2. Sheriff and Mayor

Dean drove the car into the town, finding it almost completely quiet. It was a quaint town, not unlike many places he and his brother had been throughout their lives. Though it was pretty late, people were gathered in groups of four or five, conversing with one another, apparently gossiping. Whatever the small-town news was, it was pretty big because everyone looked nervous and scared. What seemed to be even more alarming was the sight of the Winchester boys' car driving down the road. They stopped their gossip for a moment only to point and whisper behind their hands as they drove by.

"What did you say this place was called again?" Dean asked, staring out at the whisperers.

"Storybrooke," Sam replied. "It's weird, though. All the times we've been to Maine, have we ever seen this place?"

"Something tells me I'd remember," said Dean, and then he let out a dry laugh. "Storybrooke…great. Sound's like Disneyland meets Wisteria Lane."

After a few minutes of driving, Sam and Dean found the Sherriff's office. It was one of the only buildings in the town that had its lights on and no chattering people around it. Dean parked the car and the two brothers went inside. Almost at once, they could hear people arguing.

"…should be out there helping and you know it!"

"Sheriff Swan, you know why you can't do that. Someone has to stay here and listen for any kind of response from the search party. Besides, you're emotionally compromised as it is."

"Emotionally compromised? Oh, you think I should just be pretending she's out for a walk, right? Because it's so like her to leave for a walk in the morning and not show up at work or anywhere else in town for the rest of the day?"

"No, I agree that this behavior is completely unlike Mary Margaret and I'm concerned for her as well."

"You've got a funny way of showing it."

"_Watch_ yourself, Sheriff Swan. You know how much this town means to me. Mary Margaret is no exception."

"Then why don't you stay here and listen for Archie and the others while _I _go help them out?"

"Because, I have a press conference in a few hours that needs my attention. The entire town is buzzing, Miss Swan. They are confused and frightened. I have to address them and let them know what's going on."

Sam and Dean listened to the argument before carefully rounding the corner where the two women were arguing. The first was a blonde in a leather jacket, a sheriff's badge hanging off her belt. The other was dark-haired with very dark eyes and full raspberry colored lips. It too both women a second to realize that the two men were standing there but after a while, the dark woman glanced up and saw them and the blonde followed her gaze. They both looked rather stunned.

"Uh…hey!" said Dean, awkwardly.

"Hey," replied the blonde, recovering from their sudden arrival rather quickly while the other woman continued to stare. "Can I help you guys?"

"Um, yeah," said Sam, stepping forward. "We were just passing through and…sorry, we couldn't help overhearing. Is someone in this town missing?"

"Yeah," replied the blonde. "Did you see something?"

"We…" Dean began, but then he caught Sam's eye and cleared his throat. "_I_ thought I heard something while we were driving past the woods."

"What was it? Where'd you hear it?"

"Well," Dean said, still awkward. "It sounded like…someone crying out…maybe screaming," the Sheriff's eyes widened. "And it was just outside of town, near the "welcome" sign."

The Sheriff immediately picked up a walkie-talkie and began talking to whoever was on the other end, telling them to look around where Dean had said. The other woman continued to stare at them, as though unable to really believe what she was seeing. Sam stepped forward.

"If…um…if you guys need any help finding this woman," he said. "We'd only be too happy to help."

The women looked over at them. Finally, the dark-haired woman pulled a winning smile.

"How would you gentlemen like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?"

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"So, you're the Mayor?" Dean asked, sipping his glass of cider almost immediately as Regina placed it into his hand.

Regina laughed a little. "Not exactly what you'd picture, right? Well, it's a joy of a job, really. Add being a single mom and…well, I've got quite the schedule on my hands. Oddly enough, Storybrooke doesn't get a lot of visitors. What made you gentlemen decide to drop by?"

"We just wanted to report what we heard," said Sam, honestly. "But, like we said, we don't mind sticking around to help out the sheriff, if we could."

"Oh, I'm sure Sheriff Swan has things under control," said Regina, smoothly. "I'll admit, Mary Margaret's disappearance has gotten a lot of people in town concerned. Apparently she left home this morning but…never made it to work. Nobody seems to have seen anything and, frankly, this is completely unlike her."

"You sure she didn't just decide to get out for a bit?" Dean asked. "Unplanned vacation or something?"

"In the middle of the school year? I don't think so," said Regina, skeptically. "Mary Margaret is my son's teacher at the local elementary school. She's always had a thing for…dealing with the smaller people in this world. She wouldn't just abandon the school or the town."

Sam and Dean glanced at each other. So far, this didn't sound like anything they would normally involve themselves with. Dean, however, felt compelled somehow. Sam could see that in his brother's expression and so they decided to act.

"Well, it just so happens," said Dean, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out one of his many fake IDs. "I'm a detective."

Regina took the ID and looked it over with scrutiny. "Dean Shultz of the Boston PD?" she read. "A little far from home, aren't you Detective?"

"Believe it or not, sister, this was supposed to be my weekend off," said Dean.

Regina's eye twitched slightly when he'd called her "sister" but she apparently over looked it. She turned to Sam. "And you are…?"

"Oh," said Sam, pulling out his own ID. "I'm also…" his stomach dropped. He'd grabbed the wrong ID!

"Yes?" said Regina, suspiciously.

"I'm also…from Boston," said Sam, forcing a smile and handing her the ID regardless. "The name's Delp. Sam Delp."

Regina looked at Sam's ID and her eyes widened. "Antiques dealer?" she said, her voice dripping with disbelief.

"Y-yeah," said Sam, trying to fake his way through.

Regina's dark eyes flicked from Sam, to Dean, to the ID, then back between the brothers again. Finally, she handed the ID back to Sam. "Whatever," she grumbled, her face working to hide contempt. "It's none of my concern."

_SHE TOTALLY THINKS WE'RE GAY!_ The brothers screamed in their heads.

"But, regardless, it's like I said," Regina went on. "We have the situation under control. There are only so many places Mary Margaret could have gone and I'm confident that we will find her before long."

"How can you know that?" said Dean, incredulously. "For all you know some psycho could have thrown her into his trunk and hightailed out of here. She could be in Canada for all you know."

Regina glared at him. "I know what goes on in my town, Detective Shultz. Trust me when I say that there's no way that could be the case." She leaned in slightly and said, darkly. "Nobody ever leaves this place."

The Mayor then got to her feet. "Thank you for your assistance. I suggest you two get back on the road if you want to make it to the city before dawn."

With that, Regina Mills dismissed the Winchester brother's from her home. When they were safely outside, Dean turned to Sam.

"You know, I'm kinda tired," he said. "Wanna go check out and see if this place has a hotel or something?"

Sam grinned. "That's just what I was thinking. I thought I saw a Bed and Breakfast down the road."

"Sweet," said Dean and with that, they departed.


	3. The Vanishing House

_ The carriage rattled along through the woods, led by a procession of knights in black armor, each riding a jet black steed. Two women sat inside the carriage and the younger of the two was staring eagerly out the window, watching the last bits of snow melt slowly from off the damp trees._

_ "You look in a particularly good mood today," the Queen commented as her stepdaughter stared out the carriage window._

_ Snow smiled. "I just love this time of year. Spring has finally arrived and now the whole world is waking up to enjoy it. It's marvelous."_

_ "You enjoy the spring?" said the Queen, conversationally. "I would have thought you were more of a winter girl, given your name."_

_ "Oh, I love the snow well enough," said Snow, brightly. "But there's nothing like the spring. The warmth, the freshness, the flowers, the world coming to life…it's just all so beautiful."_

_ The Queen smiled and waved a black lace fan on her face. "Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, dear. There's nothing like a carriage ride to ease your mind and spirit."_

_ Snow nodded and turned her attention back outside toward the forest. Trees flew by like large wooden pillars, like the marble ones back at the castle. The fresh new leaves cast a brilliant ceiling of green overhead, letting only the occasionally dapple of sunlight reach the ground below. The ground was littered with the remains of the leaves that had fallen in the autumn, dotted with a few small piles of snow, still clinging to life. The entire forest looked like a palace all of its own. It even had…_

_ Snow blinked and leaned closer to the window, her brow furrowed. She tried to look back, but could no longer see anything. The Queen noticed her sudden change in behavior. "Has something caught your attention, dear?"_

_ "I thought I saw something," Snow told her stepmother, not taking her eyes off the forest._

_ "What was it?" the Queen asked._

_ "A…door? The threshold of a house."_

_ "A house? All the way out here? But, darling, there isn't a village for miles."_

_ "I know, that's what I don't understand. Why would there be a house in the middle of the forest?"_

_ The Queen leaned forward and glanced out the window herself. "I don't see anything out there," she remarked._

_ "I know," said Snow. "It was only for a moment but then…it was gone."_

_ The Queen sat back in her seat and continued to fan herself. "Well, pay it no heed, dear. It does not do to wander through the woods looking for vanishing houses. Especially not with all the silly rumors flying around out there."_

_ Snow tore her eyes from the window at last and looked over at her stepmother. "What rumors?" she asked._

_ "Oh, child, don't worry yourself over it," the Queen insisted. "Just the townsfolk making up stories, I'm sure."_

_ "What stories? What are they saying?"_

_ The Queen sighed and leaned in closer to her stepdaughter. "Well, don't tell your father I told you of these things. I don't think he wishes for you to hear of it for fear you will be frightened."_

_ "What is there to be frightened of?" Snow asked._

_ "Well, there have been rumors amongst the people that a Sorcerer has come recently to these woods," the Queen said. "He's supposed to be very powerful and dangerous. Every now and then, he comes to the village and steals young maidens from their homes and brings them back to his mysterious home. Apparently, every maiden who enters that house are never heard from again."_

_ Snow blinked. "But, Stepmother, if such a Sorcerer exists, why has my father not banished him or taken any measures to rid the kingdom of him?"_

_ "Because the Sorcerer's house is supposed to be protected by a powerful enchantment," the Queen explained. "Nobody can enter the house, or even find it, with the express permission of the one who lives there. Your father is a powerful man, Snow White, but even a king's army can only do so much against magic."_

_ Snow cast her eyes downward, looking troubled. The Queen reached out a hand and touched her arm and gave her a smile. "Fear not, my dear. It is, after all, only a rumor. Nobody is even sure if this evil even exists. Rest assured, there is no way such a Sorcerer could ever harm you."_

_ Snow nodded and tried to look comforted. She glanced out of the window again, but saw no signs of the house. A deep, uneasiness filled her heart…._

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"Snow! Snow! Wake up."

Snow White opened her eyes with difficulty. She had been sleeping on a large pile of hay with her cloak wrapped around her like a blanket. It took her a moment to try and remember where she was. It was the sight of the thin yet pretty girl dressed in rags that made her remember.

"Ella," Snow said, pulling herself up out of the hay. "Is it time already?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so," said Ella, sadly. "I'm so sorry. I would let you stay as long as you like but if my stepmother or stepsisters saw you out here…"

Snow waved her hand dismissively. "Your life is hard enough as it is," she said, kindly. "Do not make it worse on my account."

Ella smiled and handed Snow a basket with a few loaves of bread and some fruit inside. "Here," she said. "It isn't very much but it was the most I could afford to sneak away."

"You didn't have to do that," said Snow, appreciatively.

"Yes, I did," insisted Ella. "You're doing what I would never have the courage to do, Snow. You're running free, you escaped your stepmother whereas I'm still trapped here with mine."

"Well, if _your_ stepmother ever tries to rip your heart out, I insist you follow in my footsteps," said Snow, seriously. Snow gathered all her belongings and took the basket and the two girls made their way to the gate.

"You take care of yourself, Ella," said Snow as she made her way towards the gate.

"You too, Snow," said Ella. Just then, a voice called out from the manor house.

"Cinderella! Where are you!"

"Cinderella, where's our breakfast?"

"Bring me my breakfast, Cinderella!"

Snow sighed heavily. "I _wish_ they would stop calling you that," she said, glaring back at the manor where Ella's cruel stepmother and stepsisters were waiting.

Ella waved it off, absently. "I'm used to it. Good luck, Snow."

The two bid each other farewell, and Snow ran off down the road toward the woods. Snow had been running from her stepmother, the Queen, for some time now ever since she'd sent a huntsman to cut her heart out. Snow had survived this long all on her own mostly due to the kindness of people like poor Ella, lending her their aid.

As she walked, Snow recalled the dream she'd been having before Ella woke her up. It had been a memory from the time before her stepmother's true nature had revealed itself. Her father had just married her and the Queen had insisted on taking Snow on a friendly carriage ride through the woods. Snow had appreciated the gesture at the time, thinking her stepmother had wanted to be her friend.

_We could never be have been friends, though_, Snow thought, heavily. _Not after everything that happened._

Snow found her way back to the woods and started looking around for a place to go. Now that she had the food that Ella had given her, her first concern was where she was going to rest her head tonight. She couldn't afford to stay in the same place for too long, lest the Queen's guards should track her down.

As she wandered and cast her eyes around for some kind of cave or a nice high, climbable tree in which she could lodge, something caught the corner of Snow's eye. Something that didn't belong in the forest. She thought she saw a door. Snow blinked and glanced around again, but saw nothing. To be certain, she hurried in the direction in which she was sure she'd seen the door.

The first few steps revealed only trees in the weak morning sunlight, but as she drew nearer, the outline of something large began to emerge from the shadows. Somewhere she thought she heard a bird chirping, but could not see one anywhere. Finally, after a few feet, she hid herself behind a large tree and stared in disbelief at what she saw.

A large and spacious manor home that was flickering in and out of sight. The vanishing house. The home of the Sorcerer.


	4. Strangers

Dean shoveled a large fork-full of egg into his mouth and, before he was done chewing, cut into his small stack of pancakes and shoved them into his mouth as well. "Man, I love small town food," he said, appreciatively. "Way less communal than city food."

"Just don't choke before we can get moving on this case," said Sam, drinking his coffee and eyeing his brother in disgust.

The two were sitting in Granny's diner a short distance from the inn where they'd stayed the night before. Granny's seemed to be a town hot spot because many of the town's residents were coming and going throughout the morning, ordering coffee, eating pancakes, or reading the local newspaper_ The Daily Mirror_. Many of the townspeople stopped and stared at the brothers as they came, some even whispered and pointed.

"People here seem kinda edgy," said Sam, noticing all the attention they were getting.

"I know what you mean," said Dean. "Place has a bit of a Gatlin feel to it. Still, the missing woman…you think it's a job? I mean _our_ kind of job?"

"There's not enough evidence to say it is," Sam admitted, looking over his own copy of _The Daily Mirror_ where there was an article about the missing woman, Mary Margaret Blanchard. "But there isn't any evidence to say there isn't. Everyone here seems to be pretty freaked out so I'm willing to guess this kind of thing doesn't happen very often."

"Everyone except the Mayor," said Dean, now crunching down on bacon. "She seems to think she's still in town."

Sam nodded in agreement. "She's the only one who seems relatively calm about all this. And…was it just me or did she seem kinda like a…

"…poisonous bitch?" Dean finished for him.

"Yeah, that," Sam agreed. "Well, I say we talk to the Sheriff again. I don't think she's going to let us do anything without her permission."

"Won't let _me_ do anything," Dean corrected him. "I'm the detective here, remember, Mr. Antiques Dealer?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Okay, _you_ then. I guess I'll just try and find out what I can from around town."

"What are you two doing here?"

The two brothers looked around. A kid had walked up to their table while they were talking, without their noticing. He was young with short, dark hair and a few light freckles across his nose and was dressed in an elementary school uniform. He was staring at them curiously, almost suspiciously, as he waited for them to reply.

Dean grinned. "Hey, buddy," he said, cheerfully. "How you doing?"

"What are you guys doing in Storybrooke?" the boy said again.

"We're just stopping by for a bit," said Sam, kindly. "We heard about that lady who went missing and we thought we'd help. You've heard about that, right?"

The boy nodded. "Ms. Blanchard is my teacher," he said.

The brothers exchanged a look. "You don't think that your teacher might have just wanted a break or something right?" Dean asked, carefully. "Y'know, did she say anything in class about taking a vacation or something?"

The boy shook his head. "She'd never do that. She can't do that. Nobody leaves Storybrooke, ever." The brothers stared. "Something awful happened to her, I know it. We have to find her soon, or something horrible will happen. If you guys are here to help, you have to know that. We have to find her and soon!"

Sam leaned forward. "Kid, is there something you want to tell us?"

Before the boy could reply, the door to the diner opened and the Mayor appeared. "Henry!" she called. "Henry, what are you doing in here? Let's go, you're going to be late."

Henry gave the Winchester brothers one last look before turning around and following the Mayor out of the diner. The Mayor paused and threw the brothers a look of her own, a cold and unwelcome one, before she turned and followed the boy out of the diner.

"Poisonous bitch," Dean grumbled.

"Yup," said Sam. "You think that was her kid?"

"Guess so," said Dean. "She said she was a single mom. Wonder who the kid's dad is?"

"Did you notice that he said the same thing she did last night?" said Sam, suspiciously. "That thing about "nobody leaves Storybrooke"? At the very least, be it evil spirits or demons or even a local psychopath, something tells me this case is for us."

"Agreed," said Dean. He then wrote a check for their meal and gave it to the slim, scantily-clad-in-red waitress (_Ruby_ her nametag said. Sam shuddered). The brothers then gathered their coats and split up. Sam towards the school where Mary Margaret worked and Dean to the Sheriff's office.

When Dean arrived at the Sheriff's office, he saw the Sheriff was once again had company. This time it was three men. The first was a skinny man with round glasses, a bottle green suit, and carrying an umbrella. The second man was short and bald with a permanent sneer on his face. The final man was sitting down on a coach, his head bowed. He was good looking with sandy brown hair and pale blue eyes, but his looks were pulled down into an expression of fear and worry.

"There was nothing else," said the man in the green suit. "That's all we found, right there. We would have looked longer but it was getting too dark. We had to call it a night for our own safety."

"Don't worry about it, Archie," said Emma, looking down at the dirt-covered driver's license in her hand. "You guys did everything you could. And this was where I told you to look? Right at the edge of town?"

"Yes," Archie replied. "But there was nothing else there. There was no sign that she went any further then the town boundaries."

"We shouldn't have given up," said the man who was sitting down.

"David…" said Emma, delicately.

"We should have kept looking," David insisted. "She's still out there somewhere! She's out there and we're just sitting here doing nothing…"

"David, I know you're upset," said Archie. "But there's nothing more we could have done. Besides, if your conscience says she's still out there, then she probably is. We can still find her."

"Archie's right," said Emma. "There's still time, David. We'll find her…I'll find her."

"Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart," grumbled the short guy. "It's been more than twenty four hours since she disappeared, right? Another day or two and all there will be to find is a body."

Emma glared at him. "Thanks _so_ much for the optimism, Leroy!"

Dean knocked on the wall to indicate that he was there. Emma and all the others spun around to see him. He waved awkwardly and Emma raised and eyebrow.

"Is this a habit of yours?" she asked. "Coming into local law enforcement offices and listening in on conversations."

"Sorry," said Dean, coming closer. "I was just wondering if you thought at all about my offer to help."

"Haven't had a lot of time," said Emma.

"Oh, you must be one of those gentlemen who came into town last night," said Archie, politely. "I heard from Regina this morning. I'm Dr. Archie Hopper, I was in the search party last night."

"Right," said Dean, shaking Archie's hand. "Name's Dean Shultz, I'm a detective with Boston P.D."

"A detective?" said David, standing up. "Are you here to help find Mary Margaret?"

"Only if the Sheriff thinks it's a good idea," said Dean.

Emma gave him a suspicious, sideways look. "Guys, could you give me a minute. Archie, you've got to get back to work anyway. Leroy, let the others know we're starting over again tonight. David…go home and get some rest. You need it."

The three men nodded and left the room, leaving Emma and Dean alone to talk. Emma didn't beat around the bush, she cut right to the chase.

"Let me start off with letting you know a little something about me," she said, sternly. "I have the ability to know when a person is lying and, so far, you and your buddy back there haven't made a good first impression."

Dean sighed. "He's my brother," he clarified.

"Brother's with different last names?" said Emma.

Dean had to think about it. "Stepbrothers," he made up. "But we're close…that's all. Nothing suspicious about a couple of brothers taking a road trip on their weekend off, right?"

"No," Emma admitted. "But why do I still get the feeling you're lying to me?"

Dean took his time to answer. This was going to be difficult. "Well, whether you believe me or not, helping people is my thing. Is that a lie?"

Emma stared hard at him, frowning slightly. "No," she said at last.

"And I did hear something last night and wanted to let someone know. Lie?"

"No."

"And, no offense, but this place seems kinda funky-town and if I can help out at all, well, I guess I'll just feel better inside."

Emma didn't reply for a while, but continued to stare at Dean with scrutiny. Dean grinned at her.

"Still don't trust me, do you?"

"Not really," said Emma.

"Why not?"

"Because you're a stranger. This place doesn't get a lot of fresh faces and, like I said before, I've already caught you in a lie. I'll have you know that this case is particularly important to me and if I find out you or your stepbrother or whatever he is are involved in this further than some innocent bystander, I'll take you down myself."

Dean's smile grew wider. He liked this chick. "What's so important? What's this Mary Margaret person to you?"

"My roommate," Emma replied. "Mary Margaret is a sweet woman and I don't believe she did this on her own. Someone did something to her and I want to find out what. If you can help me do that, you'll have my trust. Until then, consider yourself under my close, personal attention."

"So, you're accepting my help," said Dean, still smiling.

For the first time, Emma smiled back. "For now."


	5. Cursed

Later that afternoon, Sam called Dean on his cell phone. Dean had spent the morning with Sheriff Swan, going over everything that she knew about the woman's disappearance while Sam went around town to check the town's history in case something like this had happened before.

"There's almost nothing," said Sam, frustrated. "I can't access the town records without permission from a town high authority, the library is boarded up, and any other records that the town might have are in the Mayor's office and I get the feeling Mayor Mills isn't going to be willing to help us."

"I got that vibe too," Dean agreed. He was still in the Sheriff's office, waiting for Emma to come back from checking some files.

"How's it going with Emma?" Sam asked.

"As far as the case goes, there's still nothing," Dean admitted. "This lady had no enemies, no financial problems, no connection to the occult or pagan beliefs…she was a friggin' Catholic School teacher, dude. I don't know, I'm starting to think this town really is just a bust."

"You wanna call it quits?" Sam suggested. "Leave this to the Sheriff and get out of here."

"No," said Dean, reproachfully. "Just because we haven't found anything doesn't mean we should just give up."

Sam blinked and looked suspiciously at his phone. "Because you think we really have a case or because you wanna hang out with the Sheriff some more."

On the other end of the phone, Sam heard Dean give a forced laugh. "What! Dude, come on! I…I mean…my intentions are strictly honorable!"

When Sam failed to say anything in reply to this, Dean cleared his throat. "Okay, so she's kinda hot, can you blame me?"

Sighing, Sam turned back to the journal that their father had left behind. "I could check out her apartment for any EMF readings or sulfur. I could check at the school too, while I'm out here."

"Good idea," said Dean. "I'll meet up with you back at the inn tonight, okay?"

"Got it," Sam replied. "See you then."

Sam hung up the phone and didn't realize he was about to crash into a young woman walking out of a local shop, guiding a stroller.

"Ow! Oh, I'm so sorry," Sam said quickly as he avoided colliding with the stroller.

The girl let out a little cry of surprise and guided the stroller out of his way. "Oh, it's okay," she said, politely. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"No problem," said Sam. Then he looked in the stroller at the brand new baby gurgling inside. "Cute kid," he added, smiling.

The woman smiled like she was embarrassed. "Thanks. She's the sweetest but she's also a lot of work. Are you one of those guys who came into town last night?"

Sam blinked. Word got around fast here. "Um, yeah. I'm Sam."

"My name's Ashley," said the woman, holding out her hand to shake his. "I work as a maid at Granny's."

"Oh! Okay," said Sam, nodding in understanding. "Very nice to meet you. And who is this?"

"She's Alexandra," said Ashley, beaming at her daughter. "Well, if there's anything your or…your friend need, you just let me…"

"Well, actually he's my…" Sam started, but then he noticed the look in Ashley's eyes had changed. She was looking passed Sam across the road, her eyes wide with fear. Sam turned around abruptly.

A man was walking down the street on the opposite side of the road as they were. He was thin, rather short, with brown hair town to his jaw. He wore an expensive looking suit and tie and he had a severe limp in one leg, which he corrected with a walking stick. The man didn't look over at them but walked into a shop down the road with a large, neon sign that read **Gold's Pawn Shop**. The man went inside the shop and flipped the sign on the door so that it now read "Open."

"Is…something wrong?" Sam asked. Ashley seemed to snap out of her daze when the man disappeared.

"Oh…oh yes!" she said, with a slight laugh. "I'm sorry it's just…I still get nervous around…" her voice trailed away.

"Who…was that?" Sam asked.

"Mr. Gold," Ashley replied, her voice shaking a little. "He's…um…you know what, never mind. Well, it was nice talking to you!"

"Oh? Oh, yeah. Nice talking to you too," said Sam. Ashley nodded to him and walked away, guiding her stroller away from the pawn shop.

Sam watched her go and looked back at the shop where the man had disappeared, wondering.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

A short walk away, Sam found the school where Mary Margaret Blanchard worked. He knew he had to work quickly here, lest he be seen by any other teachers and interrogated. He waited until the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day and slipped inside while the mass of students stampeded their way outside to get picked up. He found Mary Margaret's classroom and the little office next door to it and looked closely along all the windows and doors. There was no sign of any sulfur, so that decreased the chance of demon involvement greatly.

Sam then pulled out his EMF gage and turned it on. It hummed quietly as he waved it slowly around the room, searching for electro-magnetic fields that would detect the involvement of an evil spirit. The gage, however, wasn't showing him anything in the classroom and when he moved back into the office, it remained low. He was almost done with his search when he waved it over Mary Margaret's desk. The gage suddenly spiked wildly and began to wail loudly. A good sign that Sam was about to find what he was looking for. He turned the gage off and started rummaging through the desk but all he found were half graded papers, sheets of construction paper, pencils and scissors…normal teacher stuff. In corner of the very last drawer when he found something he was sure didn't belong. A small egg was tucked in the back of the bottom drawer, cushioned behind an array of glue bottles.

It was as he was picking the egg up did Sam notice something odd about the office that he hadn't noticed before. There were not photographs on Mary Margaret's desk. There were no posters on the wall, not even a calendar. The curtains around the window were plain white. There was no sign of personality in this room. Mary Margaret hadn't put up anything to make this space her own, nothing to reflect her life.

"Hey! What are you doing? This is Mary Margaret's office!"

Sam jumped and quickly slipped the egg and EMF gage in his pocket as he spun around. The boy who came up to them in the diner was back. Henry, the Mayor's son.

"Oh, um, sorry," he said, trying to gloss things over. "I was just um…helping my brother with his case."

"That guy from before was your brother?" Henry asked, staring at Sam questioningly.

"Yeah, he's a detective," Sam told him. "I'm…not, but I still like helping him out. I was just looking through here and wondering if there were any clues Mary Margaret might have left behind."

"Oh, I see," said Henry, looking less suspicious now. "That's kinda why I'm here too. But you won't find anything."

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"Because you don't know what you're looking for," said Henry. "Look, there are some things about this place that you don't understand. You can't understand because you're not from here."

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Is there…something you want to tell me, kid?" he asked.

Henry considered for a moment, but then shook his head. "No," he said. "You wouldn't understand. It would only confuse you."

"Listen, kid," said Sam, seriously. "Believe me; I have seen some _pretty_ crazy stuff in my life. Whatever you think is going on here, no matter how crazy you think it is, I'll believe you. It might even really help."

"Well, it's kinda a long story."

"I like stories."

Henry bit his lip, frowning as he considered whether or not he should tell Sam anything. Finally, he said, "The thing about Storybrooke is…that it's cursed."

"Cursed how?" Sam asked, his Hunter's face on.

Henry blinked. "You mean you believe me!"

"I said I would," said Sam. "Now, what do you mean cursed?"

Henry smiled, encouraged. "You see, everyone in this town, is a…"

The sound of high heels echoing through the empty halls of the school caught Henry's attention. Henry gasped and quickly opened his backpack.

"It's my mom! Quick, take this and hide!"

Henry shoved a large book into Sam's hands and pushed him behind the door of Mary Margaret's office. "Hide!" Henry insisted, shoving Sam towards the wall and then sandwiching him between the wall and door. Sam hardly had time to protest when a woman's voice called out.

"Henry! Henry, where are you?"

"I'm in here!" Henry called back, zipping his backpack up again quickly and running out of the office.

"What were you doing in here?" the Mayor asked as Henry came back out to her.

"The substitute left one of my papers on Ms. Blanchard's desk. I almost forgot it, so I came back to get it."

"I see. Well, come on Henry. You have a session with Archie soon."

Sam listened to them go. He waited until their footsteps faded and he heard the opening and closing of the school doors. Then he got out from behind the door and looked down at the leather-bound book in his hands.

Across the cover was stamped the title: Once Upon A Time.


	6. The Bride

Snow circled around the house, inspecting it closely. It was a wide and elegant manor of beautiful, whitewashed stone and a large oak and iron door with ornate door knockers in the shape of raven heads. All of the windows were of spun glass and had thick purple curtains hiding whatever was inside. The detail that interested Snow the most, however, was the roof. Atop the shingled roof was a large crowd of jet black crows, ruffling their feathers and pecking here and there at the roof.

Snow had always had an affinity with birds, especially bluebirds, and each type of bird always had something to say. Birds could speak it Snow in a way that other people couldn't really catch. But these crows were not nearly as friendly as others she'd known. There was something about this group of crows, this _murder_ of crows, which unnerved her. Their loud shrieks and flapping of their shiny black feathers were telling her that this was not a place she wanted to find herself in. Snow wanted to heed the birds, to turn and run away, but something drew her toward the house. Some part of her wanted to see what was inside.

Carefully walking up to the front door, Snow White took hold of one of the door knockers and banged it three times. The resounding _boom, boom, boom_ echoed through the spacious house within. Snow listened, but couldn't hear any activity in the house. It didn't sound like anyone was home. Snow stepped carefully down the front steps and began to circle the house, wondering if there was anyway to get inside.

_Be careful_, said a reasoning voice in the back of her head. _Remember what the Queen said._

Snow shrugged off the comment. _There could be no greater evil in this house then there was in the carriage with me that day,_ she thought, bitterly.

Suddenly, the doors to the house opened up. Snow jumped and spun around, her heart racing. But the only thing that stepped out from within the house was a young woman, about her age. She was very pretty, too. Her long golden hair fell to her waist and her eyes were like pale sapphires. She wore a peasants dress with a low neckline, revealing much of her ample bosom. A ring of keys hung from her belt and it looked like she was clutching something in her hand.

"I thought I heard someone knocking," she said, staring over at Snow. "Was that you?"

"Yes," Snow admitted. "I'm so very sorry if I'm bothering you."

"Think nothing of it," said the girl, waving her hand as if it were nothing. "Are you lost? You can come inside if you like. I'm sure Fincher won't mind."

"Fincher?"

"The man who lives here," said the girl, and then she giggled. "My _fiancé!_ We're to be married soon."

"That's wonderful," said Snow, beaming and approaching the girl. "Congratulations! There's nothing better in this world than to be united with your true love, not that I would know, though."

"Thank you very much," said the girl. "Please, do come in. What's your name?"

"It's Snow," Snow replied. "Snow White."

"My name's Matilde," the girl told her. "And this is…well, _will be_ my home."

Matilde guided Snow inside the house. It was stunning inside with wide, marble floors and lavish rugs and suits of armor standing vigilantly along the walls. Light was spread all around the room with torches and a massive fireplace at the other end of the main hall in which the two women stood.

"Your home…it's lovely," Snow sighed, gazing around and remembering her old home in her father's palace. How she missed it…

"Thank you," said Matilde, beaming. "But, it won't really be mine. Not until Fincher and I are married, of course, which will be as soon as he gets back."

"Where is your fiancé?" Snow asked.

"He had some business to conduct and so he's been gone for a few days," Matilde replied. "I'm expecting him back any day now. He left me in charge of the household during his absence and…he gave me this."

Matilde then showed Snow what it was that had been in her hand. It was an egg, an ordinary chicken's egg, with a spotless white shell.

"An egg?" said Snow. "Why would your fiancé give you an egg?"

"It's a test of my potential as his bride," Matilde explained. "The egg is meant to symbolize the child that we shall have together. If I can care for the egg during his absence, then he will know that I will be a fit mother. It's a very serious matter to him, you see. His own parents abandoned him. It was very sad. His life has been so difficult. He wants to know if I can be a good mother to his child."

"I see," said Snow, examining the egg carefully. "A curious kind of test, but I see how it would mean so much to him. You have this whole place to yourself?"

"Yes," said Matilde. "Let me show you around."

It didn't take long to discover that this Fincher person was a man of extreme wealth. Each and every room that Matilde showed to Snow was filled with precious metals and stones. There was a bedroom with a massive bed covered with the most lavish silk and satin covers, the bed posts were carved into the shape of owls with amber jewels where their eyes should be. There was a dining hall with plates, goblets, forks and knives all made of pure gold and an enormous chandelier made of pure crystal. Rooms with carpets that were embedded with rubies, rooms with diamonds twinkling like stars from the ceiling, rooms with silver tiles bedecking the floor and emeralds slipped into the wall. Every room in the entire mansion was a sparkling wonder, full of riches the likes of which even Snow had never seen.

"This place is truly bedazzling!" Snow cried happily, after inspecting a room filled with lush velvet furniture and intricate crimson tapestries all over the wall. "My goodness, you are very lucky to have such a wealthy and wonderful person who loves you so."

Matilde looked positively delighted. "I know. It was well worth leaving home to come here with him."

Snow blinked. "You left home?"

"Oh, yes. My father owns the tavern in the next village. He had been trying to get me to marry the farmer's son for awhile now. But I had no intention of marrying a farmer! I'd be worked to the bone and I'd grow old before my time if I were to marry into such a situation."

"And, of course, you didn't love the farmer's son," said Snow, trying to help.

"Certainly not," said Matilde. "He was fine looking, but I had no desire to be his wife, not at all. But, my father wished for me to be married now that I am of the proper age and marrying the farmer's son would be a benefit to our tavern. I thought I didn't have a choice, not until Fincher came. He showed up at our door and…I don't know. The moment my hand brushed his…there was this instant connection. I was drawn to him. I knew it could only be real love that made me feel that way. I left with him right then and there and I've never looked back. Since then, I've lived here with him and I couldn't be happier."

Snow stared at Matilde. There was something rather strange about that story, but she wasn't sure what to say about it. She barely knew her fiancé and yet she defied her family and just ran away without so much as a farewell?

"Well, I guess there's one thing that bothers me," said Matilde, suddenly. "One thing that Fincher has asked me not to do. Come, let me show you."

Matilde lead Snow down to the main hall and through a door to a flight of stairs leading downward. At the bottom of the stairs, there was a door of black iron with carvings of twisted, sneering faces upon it.

"He forbade me from going inside," Matilde explained. "Honestly, I've been nothing but curious as to what's in there. I was on the verge of opening it when you arrived."

Snow did not reply but continued to stare at the door. For some reason she could not explain right away, the sight of the door chilled her to the bone.


	7. Storybrooke's Storybook

**Ying-Fa: I've been asked about the Supernatural timeline, so I'm just gonna clear it up real quick. It does not take place during the current season, so no leviathans or Lucifer to deal with and, yes, the car is THE car. I'm thinking sometime around last season. As for Once, it's not going off things as they are now either. Let's just call it "some time before Kathryn disappears but after Emma becomes Sheriff". Thank you so much for your support!**

Evening had come and Dean and Emma were wrapping up about to leave. Dean rubbed his itchy eyes. Emma had made him look through maps of the town and the surrounding forest and feed her directions as she took her car out to see if there was anything the search party had missed. When nothing turned up, Emma contacted the guys who had volunteered for the search party and let them know that they were starting again tonight. When she wasn't looking, Dean had looked through Emma's office to find out anything he could about the town's history. But, unfortunately, there was almost nothing to discover. All the records that she seemed to have were very recent, nothing telling of any strange happenings through the town.

This kind of thing normally would have made Dean drop the case, but instead it seemed to intrigue him further. Hot female Sheriff not withstanding, he couldn't help but feel that there was something weird about this town. Why was information on the town's history so hard to come by? Why was everyone from the local psychiatrist to the Mayor freaking out over one missing person? His Hunter's gut was telling him that there was something very not right with this place and he was determined to figure it out.

The sound of two people talking snapped Dean out of his daze. It sounded like Emma was talking to someone in the hallway. Dean rose out of his seat and opened the door to look. Sure enough, Emma was standing in the hall talking to some stiff in a suit. They seemed to have just come to some kind of agreement because the guy was nodding.

"Well, that's all I had to say," said the man, his voice was rich with a Scottish accent. "Good luck, Miss Swan. If anyone will find out what happened to that poor woman, I'm sure it will be you."

"Thanks," said Emma, her eyes downcast.

The man turned to leave, his dark brown eyes glancing over at Dean for a moment as he did so, and he left through the door, leaning on his walking stick. Emma let out a sigh as though relieved that that guy was gone.

"Who's…um, dude?" said Dean, nodding after the man.

"Oh," said Emma, noticing him. "That was Mr. Gold. He was just here to tell me not to worry about Mary Margaret's rent this month. It's up tomorrow and, given the circumstances, she doesn't need to pay it. I guess being an official missing person is the only thing to get you out of paying rent to that guy."

"Rent?" said Dean, curiously. "He's your landlord?"

"He's everybody's landlord," Emma replied. "He owns the town."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "How do you own a town?" he asked.

"Well, when the land the town is built on is your property and the money invested into building the town is also yours…that would make you proud owner of the town," Emma explained, looking wearily at her watch. "I've got to go meet up with the search party."

"Anything else I can do?" Dean asked.

"Just keep the phone nearby in case I need you for something else," said Emma. "Thanks for your help today, Detective."

"No problem," said Dean, grinning. "Same time tomorrow?"

Emma gave him a playful glare. "Don't go making this sound like some kind of date. I told you, this case is important to me."

"I remember," said Dean, smoothly. "Well, anything you need from me, let me know."

"I'll do that," said Emma and with that she grabbed her coat and left.

Dean drove back to Granny's and found Sam back in their room, reading a large book.

"How'd it go with the Sheriff?" Sam asked, not looking up.

"Got nothing," Dean replied, throwing down his jacket and hopping onto one of the queen beds. "You find anything at the school or the apartment?"

Sam shook his head, still reading. Dean sat up, staring at his brother. "What's that you're so interested in?" he asked.

"It's some book that Henry gave me," said Sam, still reading.

"Henry? The Mayor's kid?"

"Yeah," said Sam, finally tearing his eyes away from the book to look over at his brother. "I met up with him at the school and he gave me this."

"What is it? What's it about?"

Sam smiled and showed Dean the title stamped across the cover. "It's a book of fairy tales," he explained.

Dean stared at the book and then his gaze slowly slid over to his brother. "Dude, I know we've talked about you doing stuff like this…"

"Just listen before you criticize Dean!" snapped Sam. "This book…well, it's all fairy tales that I've heard of before but…I've never seen them told like this before. Everything is kinda the same, but also different."

"Different how?" asked Dean.

"Well, for instance, Prince Charming has an identical twin," said Sam. "Rumpelstiltskin blows up the Fairy Godmother, Red Riding Hood is a werewolf, Grumpy had a name change…loads of stuff."

"Come on, Sammy!" Dean groaned, getting off the bed to sit next to his brother at the table. "We've done this fairy tale crap already."

"But there's something weird going on here, Dean," Sam insisted. "There's some kind of connection here, something about this book and about this town. Henry was about to say, but he couldn't tell me in front of his mom."

"What could this town have to do with some kid's whacked-out fairy tale book?" Dean asked.

"I have no clue," said Sam, but he looked happy about it. "I've been reading through this ever since I got back. The stories end abruptly after Snow White and Prince Charming get married, but there are pages missing. It looks like someone tore out the last few pages."

"Isn't that kind of the end anyway?" Dean asked. "Stud prince marries damsel in distress, tra la la, happily ever after?"

"That's the thing," said Sam, flipping to a page with the picture of a woman dressed all in black. "It says that the Evil Queen interrupts the wedding and swears revenge against Snow White and Prince Charming, threatening to take away everybody's happy endings."

"Does she?" Dean asked.

"Doesn't say," said Sam. "I'm guessing it must be in the missing pages."

"Again, I ask, what does this have to do with our case?" Dean asked, taking the book from Sam and examining it.

"I don't know," said Sam, honestly. "I'm gonna have to ask Henry about it tomorrow. But he said something was wrong with this town. He said something about a curse."

Dean suddenly stopped at one of the illustrations in the book. He stared at the woman depicted in the image, then reached into his pocket and pulled out the missing person's flyer that he'd gotten at the Sheriff's office. His eyes darted between the two pictures, his brow furrowed. "Hey, Sammy," he said, suddenly. "Who's this supposed to be?"

Sam looked over at the picture. "Oh, that's Snow White," he said.

Dean held out the flyer. "Doesn't that look kinda like our vic?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sam held the flyer close to the illustration, examining them closely. Then the two brothers shared a look.

"Nah!" They both said at once, and closed the book with a snap.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Sean got out of his car, the bouquet of flowers clutched in his hand. He managed to get the evening off work at the cannery so he could spend some time with Ashley and the baby. He climbed up the front steps of Ashley's apartment. From within, he could hear Alexandra crying. Ashley must be having a rough night. He knocked loudly.

"Ashley!" he called. He knocked again. "Ashley, it's me!"

There was no reply. The baby continued to cry. Sean knocked again. "Ashley!" he called again. Sean felt anxiety start to creep into his system. His heart pounded as he knocked yet again, more urgently. "Ashley! Are you there? Are you hurt? Ashley, answer me!"

There was still no reply. Panic filled him. He threw down the flowers and kicked hard at the door. When it didn't budge, he kicked it again and again. Finally, he managed to smash the door open and he ran inside.

The living room was empty. Alexandra was laying on her back in her playpen, red-faced and screaming. Sean hurried over to her and picked her up. He cradled his daughter to his chest, patting her back and bouncing her slightly. Real fear had started to creep up on him right now. There was no way Ashley would leave their daughter unattended like this. He hurried through the house, opening the doors to the bedroom and bathroom.

"Ashley! Ashley, where are you!" Sean called, still carrying Alexandra.

As he walked back through the kitchen area, he noticed something he'd missed. The sliding glass door that served as a back door was broken. Shards of glass littered the floor and the curtains billowed slightly in the light wind. Still holding his daughter close to him, Sean approached the broken glass. He saw something red staining the shards. His stomach jumped into his throat.

"Ashley?" he murmured, terror making his voice shake. He spotted something white outside in the grass. He hurried over to it, gazing out at the wide stretch of forest just behind the apartments. He knelt down, keeping the baby balanced in one arm, and picked up the object.

It was Ashley's bloodstained white tennis shoe.

"ASHELY!"


	8. Another Victim

Emma responded to Sean's call almost at once and when Sam and Dean noticed her Bug zooming passed the inn, they followed. Emma allowed Dean to help with the investigation and together they examined the small apartment as thoroughly as possible. Dean was examining the broken door while Emma interrogated a frantic Sean.

"It's just like Mary Margaret!" Sean insisted. "Something happened to her! Someone did this to her!"

"Sean, I _need_ you to relax," said Emma, trying to be calming but also pressing for answers. "When did you last see Ashley?"

"This…this morning," Sean answered. "I came by to…to see her before I went to work."

"Did anything seem unusual at the time?" Emma asked. "Did she seem scared or worried or anything like that?"

"No," said Sean, shifting uncomfortably. "I mean, she was freaking out about Mary Margaret being gone but…who isn't? And, y'know, she was really tired. Alexandra just got over an ear infection and she was a bit of a handful. I knew she could use a break that's why…why I wanted to…take her out tonight…"

Sean's voice trailed away and Emma put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Dean was only half listening as he examined the broken glass door. There was no blood on any of the glass shards but they were bent slightly towards the inside of the house. Definitely a break in, but they must have used a rock or some tool to avoid getting cut on the glass. Dean concluded in his mind that this was how things went down. First, the attacker broke the glass and unlocked the door. This Ashley girl came over to see what the noise was and then he grabbed her. There wasn't a lot of blood on the tennis shoe that Sean found in the yard, so the girl probably got cut on the glass as she was dragged out of the apartment, staining the shoe before it fell off.

"Sean can you think of anyone who might want to hurt Ashley?" Emma asked.

"No, no," Sean insisted "I mean, sure she didn't get alone well with her family but they'd never do anything like this."

Sam was wandering around the apartment, trying to look innocent as he browsed around trying to help. He couldn't smell sulfur and he didn't dare pull out his EMF gage with Emma and Sean around, but there was something else he was looking for, something specific. He glanced carefully around and made his way innocently towards Alexandra's playpen. Keeping one eye on the two civilians, he flipped through the baby blankets and found what he was looking for. His stomach lurched and he knew whatever took Mary Margaret also took Ashley. He quickly picked up what was in the crib and slipped it into his pocket.

"Hey Dean," said Sam, coming over to him. Dean looked over his shoulder at his brother.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Check this out," said Sam, glancing over at Emma and Sean before reaching into his pocket and pulling out what was inside. It was another egg.

Dean stared at it and raised his eyebrow at Sam. "Dude, this is not the time to be thinking about your stomach…"

"I don't want to eat it, dumb ass! I found it in the crib!"

"So?"

"_So,_ I found one just like it Mary Margaret's office!"

Dean blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah, that means we're dealing with the same…"

"Something you gentlemen want to share with the class?" Emma asked, noticing them whispering.

Sam slipped the egg back into his pocket without her noticing. Dean murmured, "Not a word to Sheriff Scrutiny over there," and turned to face Emma.

"Well, definitely a break in," Dean said to Emma. "Looks like a "brake and grab" if you ask me. I'd tell your search party to start looking around here. If that girl was conscious when he dragged her out of this place, she'll have put up a fight."

"Already done," said Emma, waving her cell phone. "I think I got it from here. You can head out."

"You sure?" said Sam. "We can still help."

Emma gave a humorless laugh. "No offense, dude, but you can go ahead and leave this to the real cops. Not that we don't appreciate the help, but civilians don't always know what they're looking for."

Sam blinked, confused, but Dean saved him. "Yeah, she's right, Mr. Antiques Dealer," he said. Sam scowled.

"Antiques?" said Sean, suddenly. He stared at Sam, looking worried. "You…you don't work with Mr. Gold, do you!"

"Mr. Gold?" said Sam, taken aback. "N-no. I don't even really know who that is."

"Sean," said Emma. "I told you before, I handled Gold."

"Y-yeah," said Sean, looking over at the broken door. "Right."

Sam and Dean exchanged a look before turning and leaving the apartment. "You know, Ashley was going to say something about that Gold guy, but she stopped herself," said Sam as they headed for the car.

"You met Ashley?" said Dean, surprised.

"We just talked for a little bit this afternoon while I was walking around town," said Sam. "She seemed fine at the time but she freaked out when she saw that Gold person walking across the road."

"Yeah, I saw that guy too," said Dean, remembering. "He was at the Sheriff's office. Emma said he owns the town."

"Owns?"

"Yeah," said Dean. "Everybody in this place pays him rent, including our first vic."

The brothers shared a look. "You think he's worth talking to?" said Sam.

"Best lead we've got," said Dean. "Not tonight, though. We'll leave it to Emma's search party and if nothing turns up again, then we'll talk to this guy."

"Good call," said Sam, taking the egg out of his pocket again. "I want to take a look at this and the one I found in Mary Margaret's office. Maybe this one gives off EMF signals too."

"What's that about, anyway?" said Dean, looking critically at the egg. "Two victims now and all we've got is a couple of haunted eggs?"

"I don't know what it's about," said Sam, eyeing the egg suspiciously. "But I'm gonna figure it out."

"You think it has something to do with the kid's book?" Dean asked, seeing the thoughts forming in Sam's mind.

"I'm not sure," said Sam. "I know that book means something and I know that these eggs have something to do with it. Still, things are getting weirder. This is starting to look like it really _is_ one of our cases."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The next morning Emma's search party came back without any further evidence as to what happened to Mary Margaret or Ashley. Dean went right over to the Sheriff's office and texted everything to Sam when Emma wasn't looking. The brother's made plans to meet in the afternoon so they could have a talk with Mr. Gold. Sam waited at Granny's diner for his brother when he caught sight of Henry Mills. Sam hurried over to him.

"Hey," he said, sitting down beside the boy.

"Hi," said Henry, cheerfully.

"Listen, I read your book," Sam said. "I've never read fairy tales like those before. What are they? What do they mean?"

"They're how the stories really happened," Henry explained. "They're the truth."

"Truth?" said Sam, curiously. He'd read the original versions of fairytales before and, dark and grim and unpleasant at they were, they were still not the same as he'd read in that book. "What do you mean the truth? What do they have to do with this town?"

Henry looked over his shoulder, making sure nobody was listening to them before he turned back to Sam and said, in an urgent whisper, "That book is about everybody in this town."

"What?" said Sam, but not in a disbelieving way. Suddenly, the door to the diner opened and Dean appeared.

"Sammy, ready to go?" he asked, but then he noticed Henry. "Hey, buddy."

"Hi," said Henry again.

"Henry was just telling me what his book has to do with the town," Sam said, filling Dean in.

"Really?" said Dean, taking a seat. "How's that?"

"Everybody in this town is a character in that book," said Henry. "They're all under a curse and they're trapped to live in this world. All of their happy endings were taken away."

The brothers exchanged a look. Dean cleared his throat. "So…everybody in this place has some kinda Disney alter ego?" he asked, trying to keep the scrutiny out of his voice.

Henry nodded. "They're all trapped by the Evil Queen's curse."

Sam seemed interested, but Dean wasn't buying it. "Okay," he said, glancing around and spotting the scantily-clad scarlet waitress. "Who's that chick over there supposed to be?"

"Little Red Riding Hood," Henry replied at once. "And that," he pointed to a little old lady behind the counter. "Is her Granny."

"Okay," said Dean, slowly. "How about him?" he indicated a black man two booths down, sipping coffee and reading the newspaper.

"Be careful of him," said Henry, seriously. "That's Sidney Glass. He's the Magic Mirror and the natural ally of the Evil Queen."

"And who's the Evil Queen supposed to be?" Sam asked, taking in every word Henry said.

Henry hung his head. "My mom," he said, heavily.

"The Mayor?" said Sam, blinking in surprise.

"Yeah. She's the one who cast the curse and stole everybody's happy endings. She wanted to make them all miserable so she sent them here. Emma and I have been trying to stop her, but she's too powerful. Now Mary Margaret and Ashley are missing and things are only getting worse."

"Who are they supposed to be?" said Sam while Dean rolled his eyes.

"Mary Margaret is Snow White and Ashley is Cinderella," said Henry. "If Emma doesn't find them soon, something bad is gonna happen, I just know it."

"Right," said Dean, bored with all this fairy tale talk. "So, Tom Thumb and Sheriff Goldilocks need to save the lost princesses and save the land from the bad guys. Urg, this sounds like a bad cartoon."

Henry gave Dean a shrewd look. "I am _not_ Tom Thumb. And Emma is _not_ Goldilocks. As a matter of fact, she's…" But Henry stopped suddenly and glanced out the window. "My mom!" he cried. The two brothers looked over to notice the black haired Mayor heading towards the diner. Henry scooted off the booth and ran for the door. "Don't let her know you know!" he cried before pulling the door open and running out.

Sam glanced over at Dean, who gave him a look that said clearly, "Dude, you can't be serious."

"Come on!" said Sam. "The kids making perfect sense…"

"No, he's not," said Dean. "You just want him to."

"Dean…"

"Come on, Sammy," said Dean, standing up. "If we're gonna have a talk with that Gold guy, we'd better get moving."

Sam sighed heavily. Henry's story just didn't feel like bull to him. There was something strange, dark, about this place and Dean just wasn't seeing it. But, if they were going to find out what happened to these girls, they would have to look over everything, cover every lead.

If this town really was cursed, then it was only a matter of time before another victim was claimed.


	9. Villans

A small bell jingled as Sam and Dean entered Gold's Pawn Shop. The entire place was crowded with some of the most interesting objects they'd ever seen. There were knives of all shapes and sizes in a display case next to an antique cash register, polished wooden furniture stacked over the room, shining silverware in the glass counter, the shelves were laden with a jewel-encrusted Arabian lamp, a brass compass on a long chain, a pair of shoes that seemed to be made of glass, a neatly folded red cloak, a set of golden chess pieces, a fur-lined cape, a gleaming silver axe, an ancient umbrella, a pair of wooden puppets, a silken top hat, an iron pickaxe, and several glass phials filled with various herbs. There was nobody behind counter.

"Get a load of this place," said Dean, glancing around the crowded shop and looking wary. "Look at all this stuff!"

"Pawn shops always get a hold of some pretty crazy stuff," said Sam, looking over a wooden windmill sitting by the window. "But this…"

"…is ridiculous," Dean finished for him. He went over to the counter, but there was no bell. "Where is he?"

"The sign says it's open," said Sam, now examining a mobile made up of blown-glass unicorns.

"Hey, Sammy," said Dean, suddenly. "Who did your little friend say that this Gold guy was? Y'know, in the book?"

"He didn't say," said Sam. "I never asked him." He reached out a finger and gently tapped one of the glass unicorns on the mobile. It tinkled gently making sounds similar to wind chimes. The two brothers were both looking at the mobile when a deep voice suddenly said, "Charming, isn't it?"

Sam and Dean both jumped. Mr. Gold had appeared noiselessly behind the counter, grinning widely at their reactions to his unexpected arrival. Dean recovered first, swallowing a lot of swear words that had occurred to him the moment Gold had surprised them.

"Mr. Gold, right?" he asked, catching his breath.

"Well, it _is_ my shop," Gold replied, calmly. He turned back over to Sam. "If you're interested in that item, I could take it down, give you a better look."

"Oh, no," said Sam, now backing away from the mobile. "I'm…um…not looking to…um…"

"Mr. Gold, my name's Detective Shultz of the Boston P.D.," said Dean, pulling out his fake ID. Gold took it from him, examining it closely. "I'm helping Sheriff Swan investigate the two missing persons cases that took place over the past couple days."

"Ah, yes," said Gold, handing Dean the ID back. "I heard about that. It's just terrible, really. Who on earth would want to harm those poor women? It's unthinkable."

"Right," said Dean, scrutinizing Gold. "Mr. Gold, I hope you don't mind my asking you a couple of questions about these cases, right?"

"Am I being suspected of anything?" Gold asked, politely and straight-faced.

"No, no, it's just…well, from what we gathered you've got quite a bit of influence in this town," said Dean, smoothly. "I mean, if anyone can answer any questions we might have, everybody here seems to think you're the guy to ask."

"I'm certainly someone to ask," said Gold, limping around the counter and leaning on his walking stick. "Of course, there's also Mayor Mills. It is her town, of course."

"That's not how I heard it," said Dean. "Everybody seems to think you own this place."

Mr. Gold smiled. "My influence is nothing more then finance, Detective Shultz," he said. "Money and social status is what gives a person power in this world. If you have both, as I do…well, people can get a bit nervous. Truth be told, I'm not surprised you've come to me. People in this town wouldn't put anything past me. If anyone in this town can get away with some kind of unspeakable crime, it would most likely be me; therefore I'm the most logical choice for a suspect. But, just because I _can_ do something doesn't mean I _have_ done anything."

"That'll be for me to decide," said Dean. "First off, what was your connection to Ms. Mary Margaret Blanchard, the first victim?"

"She rented a small apartment that I own, along with Sheriff Swan," Gold replied. "I knew her as a tenant, but nothing further. I'm afraid I didn't know Ms. Blanchard very well."

"And what about Ashley Boyd, the second victim?" Dean asked. "Her boyfriend seemed a bit...well; frankly, he didn't seem to like you very much."

Gold gave a humorless laugh at that. "Ah, yes, Miss Boyd. Well, we had a bit of a disagreement over the adoption of her child, but the matter was cleared up awhile ago."

"Adoption?" said Sam, chiming in suddenly. "You mean Alexandra isn't her baby?"

"Oh, she is," said Gold. "It's just when Miss Boyd first became pregnant, she decided to give the baby up and came to me to handle the adoption. I made all the arrangements, made sure both the birth parents would be properly compensated and find a decent home for the child. Miss Boyd, however, got cold feet and wished to cancel the arrangement. Well, that's not exactly something I do but, as I said, I cleared up the matter…with Sheriff Swan."

"Emma?" asked Dean. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"She vouched for Miss Boyd," Gold explained. "We made a deal, you see, and Ashley was allowed to keep the child. I have no hard feelings toward Ashley any longer so I'm afraid to see why I had any motive to harm her…or Ms. Blanchard for that matter."

Dean frowned. He didn't like this guy. Something about him just seemed…hinky. He was too smug, too comfortable in this situation. Even innocent people tended to sweat a little bit while being interrogated, but this guy? Nadda. Still, as things were, there was almost nothing linking him to the disappearances. Frustrated, Dean finally said, "Mr. Gold, I've only got one more question for you. Where were you last night at roughly 9:30 pm?"

Mr. Gold smiled. "Right here, of course," he said, tapping the counter. "The shop closes at 8:30, I spend a little time closing up, and I normally leave around nine and then walk home. If you don't believe me, I almost always see Dr. Hopper along the way back and I'm sure he can verify that."

Dean restrained a grimace. "I'll do that," he said. He shot a glance at Sam, who shook his head. They had nothing on Gold.

Suddenly, the door to the shop opened again. Regina Mills came in, looking very annoyed about something. Her dark eyes glanced over Sam and Dean and finally she said, "Excuse me, but just what _are_ you two still doing here?"

Dean raised his eyebrows. "I'm helping out," he said, innocently.

Regina flushed angrily. "Detective," she said her voice full of controlled anger. "Could I have a word with you and your…"

"Stepbrother," Sam finished for her, quickly.

Regina glared at him. "Right," she said dully. "If I could speak to the two of you…outside…immediately."

Dean rolled his eyes and turned back to Mr. Gold. "Thanks for your time," he said, dryly.

Mr. Gold nodded understandingly and watched the two brothers and Regina leave his shop, a curious expression on his face…

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The moment they were outside, Regina didn't waste anyone's time and got right to the point. "I thought I told you that we had the situation under control," she said, briskly. "This town does not need or want the help of you or your _companion_ so I suggest you both leave now. People are getting concerned and, as Mayor, it is my job to see to the peace of the community."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Lady, are you serious?" he asked, rudely. "Peace of the community? Since we got here, the first victim hasn't been found and another one has been missing. It's only going to get worse at this rate."  
>"Yes, I agree," said Regina. "It is going to get worse. It's going to get worse because people are uneasy with two strange men wandering around town who absolutely do no belong here. One of whom," she glared at Dean. "Just so happened to know where exactly to find Mary Margaret's driver's license in the woods. And another," she reached into her purse and pulled out a photograph, "was seen talking to the second victim only hours before she disappeared."<p>

Sam and Dean looked at the photos. It showed Sam and Ashley where they'd collided yesterday. Sam was looking into the stroller at Alexandra while Ashley smiled, gushing proudly over her daughter. Sam looked up at Regina, stunned.

"When did you have this taken?" he asked, startled.

"I have eyes all over this town," said Regina, coldly. "You think I don't notice what's going on here? Sheriff Swan may be too incompetent to see it, but I'm not. You men are nothing but trouble. Everyone is getting worried and I'm starting to think you two may have something to do with this."

Dean stared right back at Regina, rising up to her challenge. "Listen, sister," he snapped. Regina cringed again. "If you're trying to suggest that we had something to do with this, and you've got evidence to prove it, you can go right ahead and have Emma arrest us. But I just want you to know that that isn't going to stop bad things from happening to these people. If you really cared about this town, you'll leave me to do my job."

"It's _not_ your job," said Regina, harshly. "You have nothing, _nothing_, to do with this town. Yet, you intrude never the less, you invade our law enforcement office, and now you're questioning citizens? You have no place to do any of those things and _you_," she glowered at Sam. "Have even _less_ business intruding. Nosy detectives, I can deal with, but vigilante snooping by an incompetent civilian is completely unacceptable. I highly recommend that you gentlemen get back in your car and _leave_ or I _will_ find a reason to have you locked up. I don't get along with Sheriff Swan at the best of times, but there are things even she will have to agree with me on."

Dean wasn't fazed. "I'm not going anywhere. If there's someone out there who needs my help, that's when it automatically becomes my job to help. Go ahead and search your little heart out trying to find a way to get me kicked out for all I care, but if that's your priority, then I guess you don't care about your town as much as you say you do. Which leads me ask," he leaned in slightly. "Where were _you_ last night at around 9:30 pm?"

Regina's eyes narrowed to slits. "I was at home," she hissed. "Talking to a reporter for the Storybrooke Daily Mirror. Sidney Glass, go ahead and ask him. And never dare suggest that I had anything to do with this again, Detective. You have no idea what I am capable of."

"Likewise," said Dean, glaring at her. "Come on, Sam."

They turned to leave, Sam giving Regina a scathing look as they did.

"Oh! And one more thing!" Regina called after them.

The brothers turned back, angrily. Regina stared back at them derisively.

"Stay the hell away from my son." And with that, she turned away. Dean turned to Sam.

"Why are Mayors always evil?" he asked. Sam shrugged.


	10. The Fincher

The Fincher wandered around the Dark One's tower room, examining the unusual objects that he'd collected over the years. "I see you're collection has continued to accumulate over the years, Rumpelstiltskin," he said. "Fascinating how people are always willing to give up such treasures to the likes of you."

Rumpelstiltskin smiled, his attention focused on his spinning wheel. "You never know quite what you have until it's taken away," he said. "People will forsake even the most precious of things for the sake of the deal. Much like yourself, for instance."

Fincher laughed. "It was well worth the price to have you see into my future and reveal to me the curse that haunts my destiny." He glanced sideways at Rumpelstiltskin at this point. "And it hasn't changed in all this time? Nothing has made a difference?"

"Nothing whatever," said Rumpelstiltskin, resisting the urge to sigh in exasperation. This was not the first time that the Fincher had questioned him about the prophesy he'd made in regards to the Fincher's future. "Your death will come at the hands of a woman, as I said. A woman who will betray you, a woman who will commit the same crime that made you become what it is you are."

"A woman who would abandon her child to the cruel world," said the Fincher. But then he smiled smugly. "But I can be saved! I have found the solution to my curse. My true love will save me in the end. Not even your unholy power can stand in the way of that. My true love waits for me at home, at this moment, awaiting my return and our marriage shall be my salvation!"

"Yes! Yes!" said Rumpelstiltskin, a bite of impatience in his voice. "True love can break any curse, this is true. And you're…_certain_…that this girl is the one?"

"No one is more beautiful then my Matilde," said the Fincher, smugly. "She is most certainly the one!"

"You mean just like the last one was the one?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, innocently. "And the one before her? And the one before that? And before that?" He glanced at Fincher, giggling as though they were sharing an inside joke.

Fincher puffed himself up, stubbornly. "What do you know about it! I have been made a fool of in the past, but not this time! I can still use love to save me. Matilde will be the one; she would never abandon her child."

"Oh, but that's no more then speculation," said Rumpelstiltskin, turning his attention back to his straw and spinning wheel. "As far as you know, she's already failed your little test just like the others."

"You're suggesting I give up hope!" said Fincher, hotly. "You believe me a dead man!"

"If it's so bothersome to you," said Rumpelstiltskin, standing up at last and walking over to Fincher. "You know I can aid you…for a price, naturally."

Fincher laughed and shook his head, even his finger, at Rumpelstiltskin. "I know what it is of mine that you covet, Rumpelstiltskin, and the answer remains "no". I can't just give you that. It is my power in this land. You wouldn't forsake your own power like that, would you?"

Rumpelstiltskin smiled and shrugged. "Worth a try," he said, simply. He took the long strand of gold thread that he'd been working on with the spinning wheel and gave it to the Fincher. "A souvenir."

Fincher examined the strand, beaming. "Ah," he sighed. "There is no substance in this world more precious or magical then gold. It has more power then many mere mortals can ever hope to have."

Rumpelstiltskin laughed again and then a distant boom echoed through the open tower window. The two walked over to see smoke rising in the distant forests. The Fincher clucked his tongue disapprovingly.

"The Queen again, I presume," he huffed. "Now _there_ is a woman I would take no chances with. She can only pray she never finds her way into _my_ home." With that, the Fincher turned and left the tower. Rumpelstiltskin continued to watch from his window, seeing the Fincher walk off into the setting sun, his cloak billowing out behind him.

"Misery and woe befall all who so unluckily cross her path," Rumpelstiltskin said quietly to himself. "This is true…but then, are you so different, my good Fincher?"

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Snow had fallen asleep a while ago, but Matilde sat awake handling the egg that Fincher had given her and wondering. Her fiancé would be home soon and they would be married in no time at all. She remembered, growing up, that one of the conditions for a man who would be her husband would be that he would never try and hide anything from her. Fincher had given her free reign over his entire house, as luxurious and filled with riches as it was, except for that one door.

The door had been plaguing her mind the entire time she was here. She could never get it quite out of her mind. She'd been mere seconds away from opening it when Snow had arrived. Snow proved to be a blessing, that way she was able to forget all about the door for a few hours. Now that her friend was asleep, however, she found it much more difficult to try and forget about the door.

What could be in here, really, that he didn't want her to see anyway? There could only be more jewels, right? Was it perhaps some kind of surprise that he intended to share with her once they were man and wife? Was it something he was ashamed of? Something that was very dear to him? Well, if that was the case, wasn't _she_ dear to him?

Matilde couldn't take it anymore. She simply had to open that door. She had to see what was inside. She had the key right there with her. She would go in and take just a little tiny peek. Her mind would be at peace then, and she could enjoy her new life.

She hurried down the corridor, taking the keys and the egg with her. It felt nice, having her mind made up. It was good that she'd decided to take matters into her own hands, just as she had when she decided to run away with Fincher. This was what she was meant to do, as the woman who was going to be Fincher's wife.

Finally, there it was. The iron door stood before her. She found the proper key on the key ring and then slipped it into the lock. It surprised her at the amount of effort that it took to unlock the door. The metal scraped loudly and finally opened with a thunderously loud _click_. Matilde reached out her hand and took hold of the handle. The metal was very cold under her touch. With a hard tug, she pulled at the heavy door and it creaked open loudly….

At that very same moment, Fincher stepped over the threshold of his house.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Dean sat at the kitchen at Granny's with Sam. While the inn's namesake and her granddaughter were working at the diner, the Winchesters had the inn to themselves for awhile. They were grateful for the space, especially after Regina pulling out that photo of Sam and Ashley a few hours before she disappeared. Dean was juggling the two eggs that they'd found at the crime scenes while Sam was on the phone.

"Yes, thank you for your time," Sam was saying. "No problem. Okay, bye." He hung up the phone and sighed. "Well, Gold's alibi checks out and so does Regina's. Hopper and Glass were both able to verify that neither of them were anywhere near Ashley's apartment last night."

"Figures," said Dean, irritably. "Damn, I was so sure it was one of them."

"You _wanted_ it to be one of them," said Sam, heavily. "Personally, I wouldn't put anything past Mills or Gold. I'd slip them some Holy Water next time they got too close."

"Y'know, what's the deal with the names around here?" Dean asked suddenly, still juggling the eggs. "We've got a Swan, a Mills, Gold, Hopper, Glass…kinda weird."

"That's what I've been saying," said Sam. "This whole place is weird. That's why I wanted to go along with Henry's theory so much. At least that would _explain_ why everything in this place is so outta whack."

"Well, I don't think some little kid's story book is the answer here, Sammy," said Dean, standing up and heading over toward the stove.

"What are you doing?" said Sam, watching as Dean took a pan out of a cupboard and set it on the stove.

"How do you want your egg?" Dean asked, holding up the eggs and grinning.

"You can't eat those!" Sam snapped. "Those are evidence!"

"They're eggs dude," said Dean. "And all my tuition is telling me that these eggs have nothing to do with our vics and if we're gonna find them, I need to be focused. I can't focus because I'm hungry, so," he held up the eggs and grinned cheekily. "A guy's gotta eat."

Sam shook his head in disbelief. Dean turned back to the pan, cracked the shells of both eggs at once and poured the contents into the pan. The moment Dean looked into the pan, he froze. A sickening, cold dread filled him up as he stared at what was in the pan, what had been inside the eggs….

"Sam!" he called, his voice full of foreboding. Sam caught the urgency in his tone and hurried over. He followed his brother's gaze and looked down at the pan and he felt his stomach turn over.

Where there should have been egg whites, there was only thick red blood. And where there should have been egg yolks, there was only a curled up, shriveled pink something sitting amidst the blood. Two tiny pink fetuses.


	11. Third Attack

Ruby walked out of the diner, the order she was delivering swinging in one hand as she hurried to her car, opened the door, and slipped inside. She reached out and touched the glass wolf charm dangling from her rearview mirror. The news of the two missing women was starting to freak her out. Ashley and Mary Margaret were her friends and now they were missing out in the woods, abducted by some kind of psycho or worse.

The engine kicked into gear and Ruby drove herself over to the Sheriff's office to deliver the breakfast sandwich and super caffeinated coffee to poor Emma. Ruby had watched her come and go across town, doing everything in her power to find out what happened to Mary Margaret and Ashley. Ruby didn't even think that the new Sheriff had had a decent night sleep since her roommate disappeared.

Ruby rounded the corner in her car and pulled into a parking spot outside the Sheriff's office with the bag of food ready. She'd just put her hand on the door when she suddenly froze. A chill ran through her body and her hearing suddenly sharpened intensely. It was like someone had suddenly turned up the volume so that every chirp of a cricket or the rustling of dead leaves in the light breeze sounded within arms reach of where she was standing. Her vision improved too. Everything was in sharper focus then it had been before. The hair stood up at the back of her neck. She'd felt this way before. It was a warning. Something was coming.

Spinning around on the spot, Ruby's newly sharp senses pierced the surrounding area outside the Sheriff's office. Her eyes, ears, even her nose were strained, trying desperately to detect the source of the new discomfort. The night carried a threat. The chills got worse as Ruby continued to search for the disturbance, her heart hammering in her chest. She was gripped with fear but her active senses made her feel oddly alive, very aware of herself.

"Hello?" she called into the darkness. Somewhere about a block away, she heard a car door slamming, but there was no reply to her cry.

Then, without warning, her senses were telling her that something was coming behind her, very fast. She spun around, but saw nothing. Though her eyes were blind, her other sense were telling her where it was, how fast it was traveling, and that it was coming straight at her.

Ruby broke into a run, never noticing her breath suddenly rising before her in a mist, despite the warmth of the night…

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Emma slammed the door of her Bug and made her way towards the Bed and Breakfast, but the person she was looking for was already outside, throwing something into the metal trash can sitting on the curb.

"Dean?" Emma called, and Dean looked up. He struggled to smile for a moment. He looked a little uneasy. "You okay?" she asked when she noticed him.

"Y-yeah," said Dean, in an attempt to play cool. "I'm…er…well, let's just say my eggs didn't agree with me."

Emma attempted a laugh, but it sounded hollow even to her. This case had consumed her every waking hour. She hadn't gotten more than a couple hours sleep since Mary Margaret disappeared and it had only gotten worse when Ashley was also gone. But at least, now, she finally had something to go on. It wasn't much, but it was at least something. She knew the moment she found it she wanted to share it with Dean. She wasn't entirely sure if he or his mysterious stepbrother had her trust, but she needed an ally if she was ever going to find out what happened to those women…her friends.

"So, um, what's up?" Dean asked, casually.

"I think I found something," said Emma, showing him the yellowing copy of _The Storybrooke Daily Mirror_ that she had in her hand. "Something to help with the case."

Dean grinned. "Aw, and you came all the way here to show me? I'm flattered."

Emma gave him a "yeah, right" look. "I came here because this is where I knew you were staying and I didn't have your phone number. Anyway, did you want to see it or not?"

"Yeah, yeah," said Dean, taking the paper from her. There was no date on the paper, but the headline was printed in big, bold letters:

**Storybrooke Disappearances Solved?**

_Local tragedy truly a blessing in disguise for terrified townsfolk?_

Yesterday evening, residents of Storybrooke awoke in the early morning hours to discover one of their own, Mr. Tarrant Bird had perished in the night in a tragic fire that destroyed most of his home. Mr. Bird, a solitary man, was rarely seen mingling in the midst of town, but was known for generous donations to local funds and a kindly demeanor. However, there may have been more to Mr. Bird then meets the eye. Over the past few weeks, residents of Storybrooke were living in fear when several local young women disappeared unexpectedly in the middle of the night. Sheriff Graham Hunter, head of local authority, had been constantly on the alert to discover the missing women. However, as the Sheriff was inspecting the dead man's half-charred home, he reported to have came across a startling discovery. The Sheriff revealed to the _Daily Mirror_ that he found several human bones buried in tall grass surrounded Mr. Bird's backyard. DNA testing revealed that some of the horrifying remains belonged to a few of the missing women. Recently appointed Mayor of Storybrooke, Regina Mills tells the _Mirror_: "Evil can manifest itself in the most unlikely of forms. Sometimes it can even be staring right at you and you wouldn't have any idea. ("Bitch," Dean thought.) I only regret that the fire took Mr. Bird's life before he could be brought to justice as he deserved but, at least, the people of our community can rest easy now that this monster has been disposed of and the women of this town are safe once again.

Dean looked up from the article. "This has happened here before," he observed. "You think we're dealing with a copycat?"

"It's the only think I could find that fits," said Emma.

"Where were you when all this happened?" Dean asked.

"I didn't live here then," Emma admitted, shrugging. "I only moved to Storybrooke a few months ago. This article was written about twelve years ago and Graham never mentioned anything about it before…well, before I became Sheriff."

"You've lived here a few months and they made you Sheriff?" Dean asked, impressed. "Gotta admit, though, I kinda got the feeling you weren't from around here."

"Really?" said Emma, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you don't really give of the united-we-stand-small-town-vibe," said Dean, grinning.

Emma managed a half-smile. "You're right, I don't. Still, this place is more a home to me then any other place in the world. My car was more of a home then any apartment I could get in Boston."

"I can relate," said Dean, honestly. "But…I've gotta ask. Of all places to move to, why…?"

Dean's question was interrupted by a long, loud, piercing scream. Both he and Emma turned to face the direction it had come from. Emma sprinted towards the sound, Dean yelled out to his brother, who came running out of the inn at once.

"I heard!" was all Sam replied and the two brothers sprinted off after Emma.

The three sprinted through the dark streets, lead by the continued screams of a woman in distress. Frantic, horrified, pleading wails that echoed through the darkness of the town at night. The boys made sure to stay just slightly behind Emma, as she was the only one with a clear idea of where they were going. Finally the screams quieted to sobs as the three took a path that lead towards the forest, away from the few feeble lights of town.

Through the darkness, they spotted a person lying on the ground trembling and crying uncontrollably. "Ruby!" Emma yelled, hurrying over to the girl. Ruby was a mess, her hair was disheveled, her blouse torn and with scratches all along her arms and legs.

"Ruby! Ruby, what happened?" Emma demanded, leaning carefully over the girl.

Ruby pointed a trembling finger towards the woods. "There…" she sobbed. "That way! It went that way!"

Sam knelt down beside her and nodded to Emma. "I got this! You and Dean go!"

Emma didn't argue and she and Dean took off towards the woods where Ruby was pointing. They ran together, the concrete road turning to dirt as they entered the woods, the lights of town fading behind them. Emma pulled a flashlight from her belt and spun the beam around, looking for any sign of whatever had attacked Ruby. Dean's eyes, however, were looking for more. The article Emma showed him meant more to him then he'd let on. They finally had the answer. They weren't looking for a demon, they weren't looking for some fairy tale freak, and they weren't looking for a copycat serial killer.

They were looking for Mr. Tarrant Bird's evil spirit.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

A few hours later, after searching the woods turned up, Emma directed the two brothers to accompany her on her way to take Ruby to the hospital. Despite the scratches along her arms and legs, Ruby appeared to be all right. She was clearly terrified by the experience, but had been willing to answer any questions Sam and Dean asked of her while Emma called her grandmother to let her know what had happened.

"I…I was at the Sheriff's office," said Ruby, trembling. "Then I…I felt like…like something was behind me. I started to run…I could hear it chasing me…I felt…cold. And…it grabbed me…I was screaming and screaming and…and it was like…I didn't think…anyone would hear me…"

"Hey," said Sam, soothingly, putting an arm around the frightened girl. "Just breathe, okay. It's alright. It's gone. Nothing's gonna hurt you now."

"That's what did it, wasn't it?" Ruby asked, looking at Sam through streaming eyes. "That's what took them! Mary Margaret…Ashley…oh God…they're not alive, are they!" Ruby burst into a fresh wave of tears, covering her face and shaking her head.

The Winchester brothers exchanged a look. Yes. That did seem to be the case. If this was the spirit of a serial killer, then there was little hope left for the first two victims. They needed to find out what it was that was keeping Bird here. They had to find his corpse, salt it, and burn it before another woman was claimed.

"Ruby," asked Dean. "I know you're upset but this is kinda important. How did you get away?"

Ruby looked up through her tears, her terror finally abating to curiosity. "I…I don't know. L-Like I said…I was running and…it caught me. I started screaming and then…I think it just kinda…let go."

Sam blinked. "It let you go?"

"Yeah," said Ruby, then she gave herself a little shake. "I mean, _he_ let me go. I keep saying "it" but…it was definitely a guy. I've never seen him before but…yeah, it was defiantly some guy."

The brothers shared another significant look. "Okay," said Sam, gently. "We're gonna go work things over with Sheriff…"

"No!" Ruby gasped, reaching out and grabbing at Sam's arm. "Please! Please, don't leave me! I…I don't want to be alone right now. Could you…could you just stay here a bit…while I calm down a little?"

Sam stared at Ruby, taken aback. Dean grinned.

"I'm gonna go see what Emma's doing," said Dean, clapping his hands and starting to back out of the room. "You can chill out here, okay Sammy?"

Sam threw his brother a "don't-you-dare-leave-me-behind" look before Dean slipped out of the room and Ruby put her head on Sam's shoulder, seeking comfort. Sam, ever the kind person he was, continued to say with her until her grandmother came rushing in.

**Ying-Fa: From a werewolf, to a Ruby, to a werewolf named Ruby. Sam, you hound...I couldn't resist.**


	12. Searching for Evidence

The next day, Sam knocked on the door of Dr. Hopper's office around noon. The town psychiatrist welcomed Sam in, warmly, and invited him to sit down. "Um, I'm actually here on behalf of my…stepbrother," said Sam, hesitantly. "He was wondering if you had any files on someone named Tarrant Bird. He died a few years back."

"Hm," said Archie, struggling to remember. "Oh, yes. I think I remember the case. He was suspected of some kind of crime, wasn't he?"

"Yes," replied Sam. "He was a murderer, apparently. If we…um, that is to say, my stepbrother and Emma, could have any records you may have of him? I don't know if he ever sought psychiatric help or not…"

"Let me take a quick look," said Archie, turning over to a large, black filing cabinet in the corner of his office. "I wonder, though, what the Sheriff and your stepbrother would want with something like this. Is this about what's been happening to the women in this town?"

"Exactly," said Sam. "We think we might be looking at a copycat and, frankly, we can't find out too much about him."

"Ah! Here we go," said Archie, pulling out a small folder and flipping through the contents. "Oh, yes, he was appointed mandatory meetings with a psychiatrist by a court a few years ago when he was arrested for harassment and verbal assault. The man had a lot of pent-up issues that needed to be released."

"What kind of issues," Sam asked.

"I guess it had to do with the fact that he was abandoned as a child," said Archie, continuing to read from the file. "He had a lot of rage against women, particularly young mothers considering adoption or abortion or any other option besides taking responsibility for her child."

"Did the therapy go well?" Sam asked.

"It seems it did," said Archie. "He came in during all of his sessions right on time and left with a positive outlook. Of course, that didn't seem to…really be the case in the end."

"Instead he went around murdering people," said Sam, dryly.

Archie sighed. "I like to think that people leave here with a clear conscience but that's not always the case. I'm afraid Mr. Bird's anger toward women was just…too much."

"And he died in that fire," said Sam, conversationally.

"Oh, yes," said Archie. "As far as everyone here remembers, that's all that happened. His remains and those of his…um, the ones that were found in his…his yard…they were all sent to the crematorium after DNA testing."

Sam blinked. "Crematorium?"

"Yes," said Archie. "Mr. Bird was cremated and his ashes were scattered in his garden outside his house. I remember reading the obituary…"

Sam's gut tightened. This made things harder on his part, and Dean's. They hadn't bothered to share their "Bird's-evil-spirit-is-killing-your-women" theory with Emma Swan or anyone else in Storybrooke. The brothers had been hoping to scour the cemetery tonight in order to salt and burn Bird's remains and send his soul on. But if he'd already been cremated, then that meant they'd have to scour the town to find something of him that remained.

Suddenly, an odd thought struck Sam. "So, Dr. Hopper, you said that Bird was abandoned at birth, right?"

"Yes, that's what it says," said Archie, showing Sam the notes. "Why? Does it matter?"

"And, his victims…"

"_Supposed_ victims, it seems. I normally don't like judging people and there was, of course, chances that he might have been…"

"Yeah, yeah," said Sam, wanting to get a move on. "Did they have anything in common? Was there any kind of connection between the victims? As things are now, things seem too random, but if we can detect a pattern…"

"Oh, good question!" Archie said, flipping through the papers. "I don't think it says much about it in here but…if I'm remembering correctly, most of the women disappeared shortly after leaving the hospital."

"Women who found out there were pregnant?" Sam asked.

Archie shook his head, grimly. "Women who just _ended_ their unplanned pregnancy…and not in the natural way."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Dean was waiting outside the Sheriff's office and leaning against Emma's cop car when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, saw it was Sam calling, and answered at once. "What's up, Sammy? You find anything out with Hopper?"

"Yeah," said Sam. "First off, the cemetery is a no-go. Bird was cremated after he was charred to death."

"Dammit," said Dean, irritably. "Well, then we'd better start looking for remains then."

"Yeah," said Sam, heavily. "I also think I found a connection between the victims but there's one more thing I have to do to make sure I'm right."

"Well, everyone seems connected to everybody else in this place," said Dean. "Except Emma, maybe. She's the only out-of-towner."

"I mean connected in a way that would attract our evil spirit's attention," said Sam. "There's always some kind of theme and I think I know what it is, but I have to be sure."

"Okay," said Dean. "Emma and I are going to investigate what's left of Bird's house and see if there's anything there left to find. I'll call you later."

"Okay, talk to you then," Sam replied, and then hung up the phone.

Dean tucked his phone back into his pocket as Emma was coming outside, swinging on her coat. "You ready to go?" she asked.

"Yup, waiting on you, Sheriff," said Dean, grinning.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The remains of Bird's house rested on the outskirts of town, half hidden by tall trees and a specious yard. The house looked at though it once possessed sophistication and grandeur, but that was now marred by the enormous charred hole that took up almost the entire upper right side of the building. Bold yellow CAUTION tape had been slapped across the front door, forming a large yellow X and an official-looking sign over the door read: Danger. Do Not Enter. Condemned.

"Good thing we got to this place before Regina could tear it down," said Emma as she and Dean made their way to the door.

"By the way," said Dean. "Just what is that lady's issue, anyway?"

"Oh, she just doesn't like it when people meddling with her perfect existence," said Emma, bitterly as she walked up the front steps to the porch of the charred house. "She likes it when people just blindly do as she pleases and not question her authority. People who cause any change, people who threaten her…well, she can't really stand people who inspire hope."

"Like you?" Dean asked, grinning.

Emma threw him a sarcastic smirk then examined the taped up door in front of them.

"You gotta key for this?" Dean asked, looking around.

"Yup," said Emma, raising her foot and smashing it hard into the door. The old wood splintered and the door swung open on its rusted hinges. Dean gave Emma a wide-eyed look.

"Day-um!" he said, appreciatively.

Emma laughed a little and marched inside the old house, an awe-struck Dean following in her wake.

The inside of the house appeared to have been picked clean. There was no furniture or anything adorning the walls. The ceiling was almost completely gone with the exception of the occasional beam sitting precariously along the edges of the enormous whole in the ceiling. The floorboards creaked dangerously from under their feet as they cautiously maneuvered through the house.

"Don't think there's gonna be much to find in this place," Dean admitted, taking a flashlight from his belt since the windows were so thickly covered in years worth of grime they let in almost no light from the outside world.

"Anything could help," Emma said, leading the way and taking out her own flashlight. "So far, this is the only lead we've got and if there's anything in here that will help me find those women, I have to try."

Dean hesitated quite a bit before daring to say, "Emma, you know the likelihood of those women being alive by now is…"

"Don't!" Emma warned. "So far as I'm concerned, they're alive and I'm not going to believe otherwise until I see for myself! If I start thinking of them that way, I'll start looking for them that way. As long as there is even the slightest hope that they are still alive, I'll keep looking for them! I can't give up on them."

Dean caught himself smiling again. "You're pretty ballsy, aren't you?"

"Had to be, growing up in the foster system," said Emma, turning her attention back to the house.

"You're a foster kid?" Dean asked, carefully.

"Yup," Emma admitted, looking around. "I was found along the highway moments after my umbilical cord was cut. I was shipped from home to home ever since."

Dean nodded, having heard his share of unpleasant tales like this before. "If it helps, my mom died in a fire when I was a kid. Dad was…well, he wasn't the same after that. I spent the majority of my childhood in my car, really."

Emma gave Dean an appreciative smile. "Some world we live in, huh?"

Dean grinned back. "You wouldn't believe it."

The two opened a door in the back of the house to reveal the remains of a study. Unlike the rest of the house, one piece of furniture remained in here. A decrepit desk stood crookedly in the center of the room, age-worn, nicked, and completely beat up.

"Here's something!" said Emma, gladly. She started pulling open the drawers of the desk and rifling through them. Dean joined her, but they were quickly disappointed. They all seemed empty except for dust, bits of paper, a couple broken pencils and what looked like an empty gum wrapper.

"Come on!" Emma groaned, frustrated. "There has to be something here! Something!"

Dean didn't reply. He'd just grabbed a crinkled and nearly faded piece of paper from within the lowest and deepest drawer. He smoothed it flat and glanced at it and recognized it as the remains of a hand-written receipt. Dean opened his mouth to point the receipt out to Emma, when he suddenly paused.

The sounds of something large, like a semi truck, was growling louder and louder as the two stood there, listening. The sounds stopped only a few feet away and a loud _beep, beep, beep!_ rang out in the silence. Dean and Emma glanced at each other as they recognized what those sounds could only mean.

"That's not good," was all Dean could think to say.

Emma and Dean both go up and ran for the back door, Dean shoving the receipt into his pocket as they did. They just reached the kitchen and forced their way out of the back door as an enormous metal claw came down onto the gaping ceiling and began ripping down the walls. The demolition crew had arrived.

"REGINA!" Emma roared, running around to the front of the house. As predicted, the Mayor of Storybrooke was standing along with the demolition crew, watching the house get ripped to shreds.

"Sheriff Swan?" she asked, looking over to see and irate Emma and Dean coming over. "What the hell were you doing in there?"

"Doing my job," snapped Emma, standing right up to the Mayor. "Funny, this place is condemned for who knows how long and you decide to have it torn down the same day I _just so happen_ to be inside!"

"The demolition was scheduled today _weeks_ ago," Regina hissed, though showing no visible signs of concern for Emma or Dean's well-being. "If you had asked anyone, they would have told you. Besides, I fail to see how this house has anything to do with your investigation. While you're running around wasting time…"

"You know what," said Dean, who was also very angry and didn't feel in the mood for Regina's crap. "You're quite the piece of work, aren't you?"

Regina's dark eyes flashed in Dean's direction. "_Excuse me?_" she said, dangerously.

"I come in to town and offer my help to find a missing person and you say you've got it covered," said Dean, his anger reaching boiling point. "Then someone else goes missing and you accuse me and my brother! Now, we finally have a lead in the case and you tear down the only building that might have some kind of clue as to where they are and you tear it down! Damn it, woman, it's like you don't…"

Dean suddenly stopped, realization coming to him. "Like you don't want them to be found."

Emma blinked and stared back and forth between Dean and Regina. The Mayor didn't answer right away. Her cold black eyes bore into Dean's light brown ones. Finally, when she spoke, her tone was slow and deliberate.

"Of _course_ I want them found," she said. "My town must be kept safe." With that, she turned her back on the two of them.

Dean glanced at Emma. She caught his eyes and nodded. She'd detected the same thing he had. Regina's mouth may have said otherwise, but the message her eyes were giving was much different. Her eyes had been telling them, _I don't care if they're gone, I don't want them found, I hope they never come back._


	13. Connection

Henry sat alone outside the school during lunch. He pulled his sandwich out of the brown paper bag it had come in and his heart sank. She'd used wheat bread. She never remembered that he didn't like wheat bread. He peeled the bread apart and examined what was inside. Tuna. Tuna with mayonnaise, mustard, and relish. She never remembered that he didn't like relish. The other kids were pulling out juice boxes, bags of potato chips, homemade cookies, candy bars, and even one with a thermos filled with tomato soup. In Henry's case, aside from his sandwich, Regina had packed a bottle of water and an apple. Henry took the apple out and threw it over his shoulder without a second glance. He'd made it a point never to eat her apples.

"Hey! Henry!"

Henry looked up from his less than satisfactory lunch to see Ava Zimmer (aka Gretel) coming up to him. He smiled at the unexpected greeting. "Hey," he said. "What's up?"

"Um, there's a really tall guy by the gate trying to get your attention," Ava said, pointing over to the chain-link fence around the school. Sam was standing there waving an arm in an attempt to get Henry to look up and notice he was there.

"Oh," said Henry, picking up his lunch. "Thanks, Ava."

"Your welcome," she replied, then she ran over to the other end of the schoolyard to sit next to her brother, Nicolas (aka Hansel).

Henry slung his bag over his shoulder and ran over toward Sam. "What are you doing here?" he asked the moment they were close enough to speak.

"Hey!" said Sam, kindly. "Sorry to bug you at school but, I really needed to talk to you without your mom knowing about it."

"I can understand that," said Henry. "What's this about?"

"It's about your book," said Sam. "There's something I need to ask you about it. I know it ends after Snow White's wedding but…do you know if she and Prince Charming ever had any kids?"

Henry nodded seriously. "They do! It's probably the most important part in the book!"

"Is that what the missing pages were about?" Sam asked, urgently.

"Yeah," Henry replied. "Snow White has a baby girl and she has to send her away to this world to escape the Evil Queen's curse. It says that she'll come back on her twenty-eighth birthday and will bring back everybody's happy endings and save everyone from the curse. I had to tear those pages out so that my mom didn't find them and read them."

"So Snow White gave up her kid," said Sam, slowly as comprehension dawned on his face.

"To save them," Henry added, nodding.

"And Cinderella," Sam went on. "Promised her child to Rumpelstiltskin."

"Exactly," said Henry, smiling.

"What about Little Red Riding Hood?" Sam asked. "Was there anything in the last few pages about her having any kids?"

Henry thought for a moment. "Nope, she never got married as far as the book says. She never had any children of her own."

"Henry, this was a _huge_ help," said Sam, appreciatively. "Thanks _so_ much!"

"No problem," said Henry. "Oh, and from now on, it's Operation Cobra."

Sam paused. "Um…what is?"

"Operation Cobra," Henry repeated, beaming. "Everybody who's helping to break the curse calls it Operation Cobra. You're helping, so you should know what it's called."

Sam let out a small laugh. "Thanks for that," he said, a little awkwardly. "I gotta get going. Take care of yourself, Henry."

Henry grinned and ran back across the schoolyard. Sam hurried back to the Bed and Breakfast to meet up with his brother.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Dean arrived just as it was starting to get dark. He was covered in white dust and looked particularly angry about something. "What happened to you?" Sam asked, carefully.

"Wicked Bitch of the North East tried to bring demolish a building with Emma and me still inside," Dean snapped, grabbing a beer from a mini fridge and opening it with venom.

"She did _what_!" Sam asked, stunned.

"Emma wanted to check out Bird's old house," Dean said, chugging the beer in his anger. "Thought it would be a good idea, I'd check the place for remains while she looked for clues. Turns out neither of us got what we wanted because Mayor Bitch brought along a demolition crew before we'd even finished checking the place out!" Dean let out a sarcastic snort of laughter. "I'm starting to think your little pal had something going for him when he called her The Evil Queen."

Sam nodded. "Well I, on the other hand, had a bit of luck with my side of the case. I found out what the connection is between all of our victims."

"Really," said Dean, still pounding his beer. "What's that?"

"Bird was abandoned when he was a baby," Sam explained. "And all the women he's taken threatened their own children, just like he was."

Dean blinked. "What?"

"Don't you remember what Gold said?" Sam asked. "Ashley gave her daughter up for adoption at first. She probably would have done, too, if she hadn't changed her mind at the last moment. She would have given Alexandra up, just like Bird was given up."

"But Mary Margaret didn't have any kids," said Dean, confused.

"Not in _this_ world," said Sam, carefully pulling out Henry's book again. "But in these fairy tale stories that Henry gave me, Snow White (Mary Margaret's alter ego) _does_ have a baby, and she sends her out of the fairy tale world to escape the Evil Queen's curse."

"_Sam!_" groaned Dean.

"Just let me finish!" Sam insisted. "Lastly, I thought about the third attack. Ruby's attack was different then the others. She didn't disappear, but she remained to tell us what happened. I think it didn't take her because it realized that she didn't fit the bill. Ruby's never had any children and her fairytale alter ego, Little Red Riding Hood, doesn't either. It's the only thing that makes sense."

Dean didn't answer immediately. He pinched the bridge of his nose, took another swig of beer, and walked over to sit on the bed and looking exhausted. "Okay," he said after a long pause. "Say this place really is DreamWorks meets Twilight Zone. Bird is probably in that book too, right? So…who's he supposed to be?"

"I'm trying to figure that out," said Sam. "But these stories are all kinda jumbled together. There are some stories that kinda get lost in the editing process. Y'know, a lot of the stories that contain gore or end sadly are changed around so that it's better for kids. I've read them, sure, but since this book is so different from everything it's kind of hard figure out which story is which in this thing. You don't realize what story you're reading until a familiar detail comes along."

"So, we don't know who he is…y'know…according to the Grim brothers," said Dean, dully.

"No," Sam admitted, frustrated. "Something tells me that we're gonna have to figure it out if we're gonna stop him from attacking anyone else."

"Well, do we know any other bad…?" Dean stopped in the middle of his sentence.

Sam looked over at him and in that instant; they were thinking the same thing.

_Yes._

_ They _did_ know another bad mother in town._

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Regina came home slightly later than normal that evening. It had been particularly satisfying to see the expression on Emma Swan's face when she really tore down that building on top of her. She'd made sure that Sydney added the argument she'd had with that out-of-town detective into his article about the demolition. She couldn't stand that disgusting man or his giant brother and the sooner she drove them out of town, the better.

"Henry!" Regina called, hanging up her purse and taking off her coat. "I'm home. Come on down and we can start dinner."

Regina hung her coat on the stand by the door, but suddenly a chill ran across her arms. It was very cold in the house. She hurried over to the thermostat, but it didn't look like it had been touched since she'd left that morning. She decided to overlook it.

"Henry," Regina called again. "Henry, let's go!"

Regina climbed the stairs of her house and moved towards Henry's bedroom. She opened the door, but it was dark and empty. She turned away towards the rest of the house. "Henry! Henry, where are you?"

Regina began searching the house, looking all over for her son. She was starting to get irritated. "Henry! Henry Mills, you answer me this very moment!"

As Regina marched through the house, another wave of cold washed over her. But it wasn't a normal cold; it was a cold that made her skin erupt in goosebumps; a cold that made her breath rise before her in a mist. Regina stopped dead in her tracks, the unnatural cold washing over her and filling her with dread. She turned around and hurried back to Henry's room.

"Henry?"

Regina threw the door open wide, and turned on the lights. The window was wide open; the curtains were drifting dreamily in the light breeze. Henry's backpack was sitting on the floor along with his shoes and discarded school uniform. He'd been here.

"Henry? Henry! Where are you!"

Regina opened his closet and even pulled down the covers of Henry's bed. There was no sign of him. Her heart pounding, Regina hurried over to the open window and noticed something that paralyzed her.

Long scratches ran all the way down the windowsill and outside the window, as though a pair of tiny fingernails had been clutching at them in an attempt to prevent from being dragged out.

"HENRY!"


	14. Hold Up

The Winchester brothers were just leaving for the diner for a bite to eat and as Dean put his hand into his pocket for his car keys, he felt the piece of crumpled up paper that he'd found at Bird's house before Regina tore it down.

"Crap," he murmured, looking it over. "I almost forgot about this."

"What's up?" Sam asked, coming closer.

"Looks like Bird had one last business transaction before he died," said Dean, showing Sam the paper. "I found this in the desk and the date says it was written a little before the fire."

"This is…a receipt?" said Sam, taking the paper and examining it.

"Yup," said Dean. "And look where it came from."

"Gold's Pawn Shop," Sam read. "You think he bought something?"

"More like he pawned something," Dean replied. "And how much do you wanna bet that whatever he handed over to that shop…"

"…is all that's left of him," Sam finished. "If he gave it to Gold before the fire, then that means Gold probably still has it. And that means…"

"Creepy McSuit has the remains we're looking for," said Dean. "We might have to break in later tonight and see it. That guys place was full of crap, who knows what Bird pawned…Sam?"

Sam had suddenly gone very quiet. He was staring at the ground, his eyes wide and darting left to right as thoughts poured into his head. "Gold…pawn shop…Ashley's baby…_adoption_…"

"Sam?" said Dean, concerned. "Sammy? _Sam-my?_"

After a moment, Sam spoke without looking at his brother. "Do we know who Mr. Gold is in Henry's book?" he asked, slowly.

"Um, no," said Dean, pulling a face. "That's kinda your thing, Sammy."

Sam looked up at Dean, his eyes bright. "Because I think I know!" he said.

Dean was spared further comment by his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. He opened it and read the text message that had been sent to him. His eyes widened and he cursed under his breath.

"What's up?" Sam asked.

"It's Emma," said Dean, gruffly. "We've got another victim. It's your little buddy."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Sam and Dean hurried to the Mayor's house and found Regina in a disheveled state of worry. She showed them the window where Henry had been dragged out of his room and told them of how cold it had been when she'd arrived home.

"This doesn't make sense," said Sam, when he and Dean had a moment alone while Regina sat in the living room with a drink to calm herself down. "Henry doesn't match with the other victims. Why would he take him?"

"I don't know," Dean admitted, checking his watch. "Okay, look, I'm gonna go meet Emma and help her search the woods. She's already out there now."

"She shouldn't be out there alone," said Sam, alarmed.

"That's why I'm going out there," said Dean. "You're gonna have to get to check out Creepy by yourself. I don't care what you have to do, Sammy, just make sure you get whatever used to belong to Bird, salt it, and burn it before anyone else gets hurt."

"The shop's still open," said Sam, glancing at the clock. "I just hope Gold is in a bargaining mood…and something tells me he will be."

"Whatever, dude," said Dean, not in the mood for cryptic fairytale talk. "Just get going!"

Sam nodded and hurried out of the Mayor's house. Dean turned his attention back to Regina and found her putting on her coat and decent shoes. "Hey!" he snapped. "Where do you think you're going?"

"What do you think?" Regina snapped. "I'm going to look for my son."

Dean sighed. "Look, it's great that you care about your kid, but you shouldn't be going…"

"No!" Regina snapped, her black eyes flashing. "You don't get to speak! That is my son out there…!"

"And he doesn't fit with the other victims!" Dean yelled. "You do! It's not Henry he wants, it's _you!_ And if you give a damn about yourself or that kid, you are going to shut up and let me do my job!"

"I'm not leaving my son's fate in the hands of an incompetent and completely insufferable two-bit detective on vacation with his sasquatch of a step-brother!" Regina roared. "Now, if you'll excuse me, we're done here!" She stepped past Dean and reached for the doorknob, but he grabbed her wrist tightly.

"Actually, I don't think so, sister," said Dean, firmly. Quick as a flash, he pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket, snapped one end around Regina's wrist and the other around the round doorknob tight enough so it couldn't be pulled free. Regina shrieked loudly and tried to pull her hand free, but it wouldn't budge.

"Ah! Why, you…_how dare you!_" Regina screamed.

"It's for you own protection," said Dean, smugly. "Gotta make sure nothing happens to the All-Important Mayor of Storybrooke."

"_Where did you even get these!"_ shrieked Regina, still attempting to pull herself free.

"I ran by Emma's office before we got here," said Dean, grinning. "I thought they'd come in handy, y'know, in case you tried to hold up the investigation…again."

"You BASTARD!" Regina screamed. "Let me go! _Let me go!"_

"Actually, _you _need to let _me_ go," said Dean, reaching past her to open the door. Regina was swung unceremoniously to the side as Dean pulled the door open and stepped outside, trying to avoid getting slapped and clawed by the irate Mayor.

"Come back here, you son of a bitch! Unlock these handcuffs now! You wait until I get my hands on you! I will not be treated like this!"

Dean turned a deaf ear to Regina as he closed the door tightly behind him, muffling Regina's screams. He couldn't resist a grin as he headed for his car, but he heard someone call out.

"Wait! Hey, wait!"

Dean turned. A man he recognized from the search party was running up to him. "Sorry," he said, slightly out of breath. "You're the detective helping Emma with the investigation, right?"

"Yeah," said Dean. "What's it to you?"

"My name's David," said the man. "I've been trying to help and…I still want to. You're going to the woods, right? I can help you in your investigation."

"Um," said Dean, reluctantly. "Look, dude, I don't…"

"You don't know these woods," David interrupted, quickly. "I do. I work at the animal shelter, I go in those woods all the time. If you don't know the way, you'll get lost in a matter of seconds."

Dean considered, but continued to hesitate. "I really don't…"

"Please!" David insisted. "Please, I'm begging you, let me help! I've been trying to get more involved but Regina and Emma don't think it's a good idea. I just…I have to help…I have to find her…"

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Find who?"

"Mary Margaret," said David, lowering his gaze for half a second before looking back at Dean. "She found me once…I can't just leave her out there to…please, just let me help you find her."

Dean sighed but thought it over nevertheless. He wasn't so sure if Emma said that this guy's coming along on the investigation wasn't a good idea…on the other hand, if _Regina_ didn't think it was a good idea…

"Alright, dude," said Dean, finally.

David sighed in relief. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Just for now," said Dean, sternly as he opened the door to his car and let David climb inside. "But only until we catch up with Emma. If she says otherwise, you're out on your ass."

"I understand. Thank you."

The two men got into the car and drove toward the woods to meet up with Emma and find the victims…if there was anything left to find by this point.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Snow awoke early the next morning, so early that the sun hadn't risen yet, and glanced around. She saw no sign of Matilde and wondered what had become of her. Snow pulled her boots on and headed back downstairs, searching for her hostess. As she started down the main hall, she heard a heavy door slam and angry footsteps. Snow darted a suit of armor at the bottom of the stairs and hid as a man came in from the passageway leading to the iron door. He was wiping his hands on a rag and talking furiously to himself.

"Fooled," he growled, wiping all over his hands from wrist to fingertips. "Again and again, I am made of fool of! Thought she was special! Thought she was different! Fooled! I'm running out of time, I need to find it soon before it is too late. That little trickster's prophecy cannot come true. I MUST find it soon! Until then…until then…" he glanced backwards towards the iron door. He spit furiously at the floor and threw the rag into the lit fireplace and marched up the stairs, never noticing Snow.

Snow listened as his footsteps echoed away. Was that Fincher? Why was he son angry? What had he been doing in the room with the iron door? And where was Matilde? Snow walked across the room and hurried down the passageway toward the iron door that had frightened her so. The great key was still in the lock.

For a long moment, Snow debated on what she should do. Finally, curiosity got the best of her, as it had with Matilde. She reached out and touched the handle of the door. Fear gripped her heart as she gave a mighty tug and the heavy door swung slowly open.

The first thing she saw was the axe. A magnificent, gleaming tool embedded in a wooden block in the middle of the room…and the blade was covered in blood. Snow's breathing turned to horrified gasps as she opened the door slightly further, letting more light into the room and made a dreadful discovery. A large stone cauldron, big as a bathtub, filled to the brim with vibrant red blood. Arms, legs, women's torsos were all crammed inside the enormous basin and, worst of all, Matilde's severed head, frozen forever in an expression of grim horror, bobbing like a cork amidst the blood and limbs of years worth of victims.

There was no stopping the loud scream of terror that escaped from Snow White's throat.


	15. Dealing

**Ying-Fa: And now, I give you 6'4 vs. 5'8!**

Sam stepped into the pawn shop and glanced around. The lights were all on but there was no sign of Mr. Gold. The entire room was littered with the same trinkets that he'd seen on his earlier visit to the shop with Dean. So far, nothing really jumped out at him as something that used to belong to Bird that they could destroy and send his spirit to hell. Sam stood up to his fullest (and considerable) height to examine objects on the top shelves behind the glass counters. He saw something gleaming in the dim light of the shop, on a high shelf half hidden behind a display of daggers.

After glancing around once again for any sign of the pawn broker, but finding none, Sam made his way around the counter and gently moved the display case. Hidden almost completely from sight was a large, ornate axe. Neatly tied to the handle was a tag with the word "Bird" scribbled on next to a date twelve years previous. Bingo.

"Find something that interests you?" came a voice from behind.

Sam jumped and nearly slammed into the shelves. Mr. Gold had appeared noiselessly behind him, a benign smile playing on his mouth. Sam took a second to recover from the man's startling entry.

"Do you ever _announce _your presence?" he asked, remembering the last time he and Dean were here.

"I thought I just did," said Mr. Gold, coming over to Sam and leaning on his walking stick. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this late visit? I hope you don't need anymore questions answered in regards to the missing persons cases."

"Oh no," said Sam, smoothly. "I was…um…looking for something to buy, actually."

"Really?" said Mr. Gold, non-threateningly. "Anything catch your interest?"

"Yes," said Sam. "This axe here is just…well, it's just what I was looking for. How much is it?"

"Ah," said Mr. Gold, coming over and taking the item off the shelf. It must have been heavy, but Gold handled it as if it barely weighed a pound. "You have good taste, Mr. Delp. Just what I expected from an antiques dealer."

Sam wondered how Gold knew his fake identity so well, but time was of the essence, so he ignored it. "Exactly," he said. "That's why I want to buy it."

"Took me a long time to get a hold of this," Gold commented as he examined every inch of the axe. "Its previous owner was…particularly reluctant to part with it. Very old design, you know. They don't make them quite like this anymore. Very valuable piece…I admit I'm starting to understand why he didn't want to give it up."

Sam swallowed. He knew this wasn't going to be easy. "Well, whatever it costs, I'm more then willing to pay for it."

"Is that so?" said Mr. Gold, setting the axe down on the counter. "Well, I'm afraid that this item is "exchange only". I can only sell it to you…if you have something of equal or greater value to give to me."

Sam started to grind his teeth. If he had to, he could overpower Gold and just take it from him. A slight man with a bad leg was nothing compared to other opponents that Sam had faced in the past. But something was telling him, instinct maybe, that that kind of thing wouldn't work with Mr. Gold. If he guessed right about him, then that would mean that this was less like trying to beat up some security guard trying to protect a cursed object…and more like making deal with a demon. He decided to stall.

"Well, I'm sure I do have something of equal value but…unfortunately, I don't have anything with me. It's all back in Boston seeing as I don't make a habit of taking valuables with me on a road trip. How about you just let me take it and I'll send you the payment in the mail."

Mr. Gold only smiled and shook his head. "That's not what I do, Mr. Delp."

Sam cursed in his head. "Well then, perhaps some kind of loan…"

"I make it a policy not to agree to loans of people who are only passing through town," Gold interrupted. "Too much chance that my end of the bargain won't be kept."

"Right," said Sam, slowly. "I'll bet you _hate_ it when people don't keep their end in a bargain with you, right?"

"If I didn't know any better, Mr. Delp, I'd think you were trying to accuse me of something," said Gold, surveying Sam closely with his dark eyes.

"Oh no," said Sam, innocently. "I was just…thinking out loud." He started to glance around the shop. "Interesting little town, this place is. Very quaint. Like something out of a fairy tale…" he let his voice trail away mysteriously.

"You believe in fairy tales, Mr. Delp?" said Gold, conversationally. He was still staring hard at Sam.

"Oh, are you kidding," Sam replied with a slight laugh. "I love all those old stories. Y'know like…Snow White and the Seven Dwarves…Cinderella…Hansel and Gretel…Little Red Riding Hood…." He paused. "_Rumpelstiltskin…_"

Sam glanced sideways at Gold as he said the name. If Gold reacted to it, he hid it well. He smiled at Sam, only a little more dangerously then before. Sam was getting irritated. He needed that axe and if Gold wouldn't crack, he'd have to resort to methods that might get his arrested.

The two seemed to be having a silent, mental battle as they stood there in silence. Sam gave Gold a warning look that said, plainly, _You give me that axe or I will steal it from you._

Gold's reply was just as plain. _Try._

After a long and extremely tense moment, Mr. Gold broke the silence by smiling again. "When two people both want something the other has, a deal can always be struck, Mr. Delp. As things are now, I currently have something that you want. All that needs to happen now is for you to offer me something that I want."

"And what do you want?" Sam snapped, his patience wearing thin.

Mr. Gold didn't reply. Sam shook his head irritably and turned his back on the pawn broker. He made towards the door, but had no intention of leaving. He was making his way towards the display of canes by the door. He'd grab one, turn around, and knock Gold out before he could react. Then he could grab the axe, run, and destroy it before Gold could wake up and try and alert the authorities. He and Dean would have to leave immediately, but they'd had to run from worse.

He'd just put his hand on one of the canes before Gold's voice broke the silence again. "Your necklace is very interesting, Mr. Delp."

This statement startled Sam. He turned around and stared at Gold. "What?"

"The one you have hidden under your shirt," said Gold, pointing to Sam's chest. "May I see it?"

Sam hesitated and then took the pendant out from under his shirt. It was the one Dean always used to wear. The one that he, Sam, had gotten from Bobby to give their father for a Christmas present one year, but when their Dad didn't show up, he'd given it to Dean instead. Dean had always worn it up until their friend Castiel had informed them that it was an amulet that could detect the presence of God. When they'd tried to use it to solve a particularly nasty crisis and it failed, Dean had thrown it away. Sam, on the other hand, salvaged it from the trash can and kept it ever since. He hadn't been willing to give up like Dean had.

Sam took off the necklace and handed it reluctantly to Gold. Gold took a long time examining it, eyeing it carefully and weighing it in his palm. "Wherever did you get such a thing?" he asked after a while.

"Family friend," Sam answered, truthfully.

"I would think so," said Gold, his full attention still on the necklace. "This kind of thing isn't something you find in any shop. This is an extremely rare ore and…these Enochian markings…exquisite."

"It's worthless," said Sam, repeating the words of his angelic friend.

"Now _that_ is where we disagree," said Mr. Gold, now looking back up at Sam. "This is quite the piece, Mr. Delp. Very tempting."

"Tempting enough to make you hand over that axe?" Sam asked.

Before Gold could reply, Sam's cell phone vibrated. He'd gotten a text message from Dean: In the woods. Going to find Emma. Hurry up, Sammy!

"Everything alright?" Mr. Gold asked, eyeing the phone.

"Yeah," said Sam, absentmindedly. "He's out looking for Henry."

"Henry Mills?" said Mr. Gold, sounding puzzled.

"Yeah," said Sam. "We think the same person who attacked and kidnapped those women may have taken him, too. It might be a chance to get at his mother, Regina, who fits in with the other victims."

"His mother?"

"But, knowing my brother, he'll have found a way to keep the Mayor out of harms way," said Sam, starting to type Dean a reply. "Still we have to find that kid before he gets hurt."

"You think Henry Mills was taken so the culprit could get his mother?" said Mr. Gold, slowly.

"Yeah, that's what I said," said Sam, impatiently.

"But Regina isn't Henry's mother."

This newest bit of information made Sam freeze. He looked over at Gold, who was staring back as though he was surprised that Sam didn't already know this. "What?" Sam asked, slowly.

"Regina isn't Henry's mother," Gold repeated. "Emma is."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Emma went rushing through the woods as fast as she could, waving her flashlight in every direction. "Henry!" she cried. "Henry!"

She felt like she'd been running for hours. Exhaustion was starting to set in. She couldn't give up, though. She had to keep looking. She had to find Henry before she lost him just like she lost Mary Margaret and Ashley.

"Henry! Henry!"

Darkness was setting in quickly and soon it would be too dark to see the hand in front of her face let alone Henry. The batteries in her flashlight were dying and so the light that had once shone brilliantly had now faded to a dim orange glow. All those nights out searching for the two other missing people had used up most of her flashlights power. Not to mention all the energy that she'd been losing herself. She had barely slept more than an hour each night since Mary Margaret first disappeared.

"Henry! Henry, where are you!"

_This is no good_, Emma thought. _I can find anyone…I can find the dirtiest, lowest criminals that ever jumped bail…and it's always so easy. Why? Why can't I ever find the people that matter most!_

"HENRY!" Emma yelled. Tired and sad, Emma sank to her knees, trying to master her emotions and keep from crying. Tears wouldn't help her find Henry any sooner, but they were coming in floods. She couldn't find him. She couldn't find Henry…she couldn't find Mary Margaret…she couldn't find her parents…she could never find the people she needed the most.

"Henry," she sobbed, her moment of weakness taking over. "Henry, I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"

Emma knelt there in the darkness, working furiously to get a hold of herself. Then, a shrill cry broke the silence. Emma's whole body tensed. She'd heard something. Someone crying out in the distance.

"Henry!" Emma cried out again. "HENRY!"

"…help me!" came the barely audible reply.

Emma sprinted. She continued to call and was starting to get replies. It was Henry. It couldn't be anyone else.

"Henry! Henry!"

"Help me! Someone help me!"

"Henry! Henry, I'm coming!"

"Is someone out there? Someone come get me!"

Emma ran deeper into the woods until she came to a clearing. There he was! Henry was leaning awkwardly against a tree at the other end of the clearing. "Henry!" Emma cried, relief crashing over her as she made her way toward the little boy…

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Dean and David had followed the very slight trail that Emma left behind for them. They'd heard her calling out Henry's name from a great distance away and had made their way toward her by following the echoing sounds.

"We won't be able to catch up with her if she keeps moving like this," said David, panting as they hurried through the woods.

"Then we'd better hurry up," said Dean, quickening his pace. Suddenly, he felt his phone go off. "Good," he murmured as he took it out of his pocket. "Give me some good news, Sammy."

"Who's that?" David asked, looking over at the phone.

"It's my…" Dean started, but he stopped short when he saw the message Sam sent. It was only three words.

**It's after Emma!**

Dean had barely read the words when he heard a long scream break the silence of the forest.


	16. Help

"WHO IS IN MY HOUSE!"

Snow White clapped her hands over her mouth to keep herself from screaming again. She pulled her gaze away from the horrific scene and quickly slammed the heavy iron door shut again just as she heard booted footsteps coming nearer and nearer. She hurried across the room and hid behind a suit of armor near the doorway as the Fincher came storming down the steps. He hurried passed where Snow was hiding and ran for the iron door. Snow took her chance and sprinted as silently as she could up the stairs, away from the murderer.

Snow raced through the enormous house, her heart pounding. She had to get out of here and escape before she shared poor Matilde's fate. But there were no other doors leading outside except at the front and if she tried to go there, she'd run right into the Fincher, who she could hear moving around downstairs. She heard him opening door after door, looking for her, inspecting each room in case she was hiding. Snow made her way through the house, ducking and diving across the hall to avoid the Fincher as she searched for her.

As she ran down a different hallway, she found herself facing a dead end. Her heart hammering in fear, Snow could hear Fincher heading her way, still opening doors and spending a few moments inspecting each room. Desperate, Snow doubled back and opened the first door she saw and quickly ran into it. It was another gem-encrusted room, glittering and sparkling innocently, blinding anyone who entered of the horrors that truly took place in the house.

"Who is in here?" came the Fincher's furious voice. "I know someone is here! You cannot hide from me!"

Panicking, Snow made her way to the window and opened it. She was two stories up and she'd definitely break her leg, if not her neck, if she jumped. Snow glanced up and noticed a drain running along the house. She got up onto the windowsill and reached for it, getting a secure grip and footing before preparing to climb down. Her foot barely left the windowsill before she heard the door to the room she'd just left open and the Fincher's voice came clearly through the window.

"Who is that? Who's here?"

Snow panicked, looking around. Going down would take too long and if the Fincher looked out the window. She had to climb up towards the roof, which was nearer. Noises of the Fincher turning over and inspecting the room where she'd hidden were like warning bells behind her as Snow climbed up the drain toward the thatched roof. She reached the top and hoisted herself up as she heard the window fly open.

"I know you're out there!" Fincher bellowed. "I'll find you! You cannot escape."

Snow sat on the roof, staring around. She'd backed herself into a corner. There was no safe way off the roof except the drain and Fincher would be coming outside to inspect any moment. If she stayed where she was, she was dead. If she tried to move, she was dead. There was no way out. There was no escape.

A loud and terrible shriek sounded in Snow's ear followed by an unexpected flapping of black wings. Snow cried out and tried to shield herself as the crows suddenly came down upon her. Their beaks pecked, their claws scratched, their feathers flew in every direction. Snow curled herself into a ball and covered her face with her arms as the birds closed in around her, encircling her.

Snow stayed curled up, torn between several possible horrible fates. Falling to her death from the roof, falling and getting caught by Fincher, or getting torn apart by the vicious birds. Suddenly, the loud voice of Fincher rose above the dreadful cries of the crows surrounding her.

"Where are you! Where are you? Shut up, you wretched birds! I can hardly hear myself think!"

The crows shrieked even louder at that. It was here that Snow noticed something strange. The crows were no longer pecking at her and while a few of them still had their claws imbedded in her arms and clothes, they were not tearing at her. They were clumped together around her, stretching their wings and their loud "caws" drowned out any noise she could make. The birds were not trying to attack her, as she'd been thinking. They were trying to help her.

For what felt like an eternity, Snow stayed curled up and silent under the protection of the crows. She had no idea if Fincher was still outside or not. She could see nothing outside the mass of feathery bodyguards surrounding her. After awhile, the crows suddenly took flight. In a wave of black feathers, the crows lifted themselves off her and took off from the roof, leaving Snow alone at last. She glanced around and saw no sign of Fincher. He must have gone back inside the house.

Snow glanced around, searching for a way down safely so she could escape, when she noticed the strange behaviors of the crows again. They were circling around the trees a few yards from the house, coming ever closer. As Snow watched them progress, she noticed a hooded figure coming through the woods. The crows cawed loudly and continued to circle the figure. The message was clear: Help is here.

Snow edged closer toward the edge of the roof. She didn't dare cry out to the figure or else she'd alert the murderer inside the house. As she moved carefully toward the drain she'd used to climb up, she felt something in her pocket. Reaching in, she found the whistle that the Huntsman had given her after he spared her life. He'd given it to her along with her life, instructing her to blow it in case she ever needed help.

Without a second thought, Snow pulled out the whistle, put it to her lips, and blew. The faintest, highest-pitched sound came from the tiny grass whistle. The moment the sound pierced the air, the crows shrieked again and took flight in all opposite directions and Snow momentarily lost sight of the hooded figure. Snow continued to blow the whistle as she made her way through to the drain and carefully began to climb down again. She kept looking everywhere around her for a sign of the hooded person or the horrible Fincher. Unfortunately, this did nothing for her attention and Snow's foot slipped on the wall. Her grip on the drain was too unsteady and she fell almost immediately. Wind rushed through her ears and her hands grasped hopelessly at air and Snow White couldn't even scream as she fell down…down…

CRASH!

Flesh hit flesh, bone collided with bone, and Snow felt herself land painfully upon something both metal and leather, something of fur and flesh…something alive! Snow rolled away from whatever it was that she'd hit, terrified, before realizing that it was the hooded person she'd spotted in the woods, the one the crows had shown her. From the looks of things, he'd seen her fall and tried to catch her, but had gotten bowled over instead.

"Are…are you okay?" Snow asked, trying to catch her breath as her heart continued to race.

"Yes," said the figure, getting to his feet.

"Who are you?" Snow asked. "How did you know where I was?"

The man, a hunter by the looks of him, got up and brushed himself off. "I heard you," he answered simply, lowering his hood to reveal…

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Dean hurried through the woods, waving his flashlight in every direction. David was right there next to him, calling out every name he could think of.

"Emma! Henry! Ashley! _Mary Margaret!_"

The two men's fear and searching finally paid off when they heard a tiny voice calling to them from the distance. It was Henry! Dean and David hurried through the woods, calling out to Henry and receiving weak yet definite replies. As they came to a clearing, they saw him. Henry was across the clearing and leaning against a tree in a strange position, crying and calling for help. Dean headed toward him…

"Wait!" David cried, grabbing Dean's shoulder and pulling him back.

"What the hell…?" Dean began, until he saw what David had been talking about. Dean had been headed straight towards a large hole placed strangely in the midst of the woods. The hole seemed to lead down into what seemed to be an underground room a good seven feet below ground.

"Nice eye," said Dean, appreciatively.

"No problem," said David and the two hurried over to Henry. They immediately saw what was wrong with the little boy. One of his legs had been tied tightly to a large root of the tree and his hands bound behind his back. Tears were streaming down his face as the two men approached.

"It got her!" he sobbed. "It got her! It got Emma! She fell…"

"It's alright Henry," said David soothingly as Dean worked on the boys bonds.

"It took her just like it took the others!" Henry cried. "It took Mary Margaret and Ashley and now it's got my mom!"

"Your mom?" said Dean, suddenly forgetting what he was doing.

"Long story," said David, quickly. "Henry, listen to me, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but Emma…"

"We're going to find her, Henry," said David, taking the boy's face in his hands and looking him right in the eye. "We're going to find Emma and the others, okay? I promise."

Henry sobbed, but returned David's gaze. "Right," he said, slowly. "I know you will."

"That's right," said David, kindly.

"Actually, you're gonna have to take him home," said Dean. "Get him to a hospital and bring the search party here…"

"No!"

It wasn't David who spoke, but Henry.

"Take David with you," Henry insisted. "I can make my way back on my own. I know where we are. I'll get the search party! You two go down that hole and find my mom!"

"Kid, you can't do it…" Dean began, but Henry hurried off before he could say another word. "…alone." Dean finished lamely.

"I think he's gonna be okay," said David, looking back after Henry with concerned eyes. "But he's right. You can't go down there alone."

"Much as I hate to say it you're right," said Dean. "Damn, I wish Sam would hurry up. Come on."

The two men approached the hole where Emma had fallen. As Dean flashed his light down to see of he could see the bottom of the trap, David was inspecting the ground around them.

"Is this…foundation?" he said, slowly.

Dean looked around. Sure enough, the entire clearing was littered with the remains of old foundation. "Something was built here," he said, more to himself then to David.

"What do you think it could have been?" said David, curiously. "A house?"

"We'll worry about that later," said Dean, turning his attention back to the hole. "This is what I'm more worried about. It doesn't look that deep and I can't see Emma."

"I'll go down," David offered. "If it's clear, I'll let you know."

"Be my guest, dude," said Dean.

David stepped closer to the hole and carefully lowered himself down until he was holding on by his fingertips and then let go. Dean waited a few moments and then he heard David call up to him.

"It's okay! It's not that far!"

Dean then followed David down the hole. The drop was short, but shocks of pain still shot up his legs and up his spine as he landed on his feet. Knowing it was coming, he'd managed to keep a hold on himself, whereas not knowing (as Emma had) would have made the fall come as more of a shock.

The two men stared around. They were in some kind of man-made cavern. The walls and low ceiling were made completely of dirt with roots creeping out in every direction. In the ground beneath their feet, they saw drag marks. Someone had come by and dragged Emma away after she'd fallen.

"This place doesn't look very stable," said David, a note of concern in his tone.

"Nope," said Dean. "Looks like it will collapse if you give it too long. Let's get going."

The two hurried through the tunnel, following the drag marks on the ground. It seemed like something had been here before, probably a basement to whatever building that had been here before it was reduced to foundation. Dean kept one hand on the gun filled with salt rounds in his pocket in case Bird decided to pop in on them. As they navigated carefully through the cavern, the sound of whimpering reached their ears.

"Emma?" Dean called. He and David rounded a corner and were met with a sight that was both welcome and disturbing.

Emma was lying on the ground, groaning, a trickle of blood running down her face. Not far from where she lay knelt two women, tightly bound and gagged.

It was Ashley Boyd and Mary Margaret Blanchard. They were alive.


	17. Burning

"Mary Margaret!"

David hurried over to the limp woman and took her face gently in his hands. Mary Margaret barely responded at all. She was flimsy as a rag doll, her face and clothes were dirty and her short black hair was disheveled. Ashley was just as bad, unmoving and completely unconscious. However, no horrible physical wounds were noticeable upon either victim. Dean knelt over Emma. There was a gash across her forehead as though she was struck with something, but she didn't seem seriously injured.

"Help me," David insisted, taking the gag out of Mary Margaret's mouth and beginning to untie the cords around her wrists and ankles.

Dean nodded and hurried over to Ashley and began working her free. As he did her eyes slowly opened up.

"Hey," Dean said, calmly. "Don't move, okay? It's okay; I'm here to help you."

Ashley's blurry eyes drifted around the room in a haze. Once Dean removed her gag, she glanced over at David and Mary Margaret and then opened her mouth wide and let out a horrified scream. Dean jumped back from her, startled, and in the next instant, David came flying past him, slamming hard into the wall.

"David!" Dean cried out. He moved to try and help, but stopped as something appeared before him. The ghost of Tarrant Bird manifested itself before them, deathly pale and terrifying. Dean thought he was dressed rather strangely…like some Renaissance fair nutcase…"

"_Where is my power!_" Bird's ghost cried, grabbing hold of David's shirt and lifting him off the ground and slamming him into the wall again. "_Where is it? Where is my power? Without it, I cannot take my revenge upon these unworthy whores! Where is my power!_"

Dean shot to his feet and glanced all around the ground, searching for something to use as a weapon. The floor was littered with all kinds of debris that may have once been part of the house that once stood here. Not far from where Ashley lay petrified on the ground, he saw a long wooden plank with a rusty nail sticking out of it. Nails were iron and ghosts didn't like iron. Perfect.

Dean hurried over, picked up the plank and swung it like a bat at Bird's head. The ghost vanished instantly and David dropped to the floor, groaning like Emma. Dean spun around, looking for Bird to reappear. He stood alone amongst four people who were unable to help him. He was their only hope at this point.

A sudden, dreadful cold and the sight of his breath appearing before him in a mist was Dean's only clue as to what was about to happen to him. He turn as Bird manifested again and grabbed him by the shirt as it had with David. With the force of a charging bull he slammed Dean against the wall, forcing him to drop the plank. The ghost took a moment and stared long and hard at Dean. Then his face contorted into a look of complete and total rage.

"_YOU!_" he roared. "_You! Murderer! Wretch! Fiend! It was you! You and that black-locked maid! You were the death of me! Where is the other? Where is your other half? I shall destroy you at last! I shall have my revenge!"_

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Snow White stared as the man stood up and stared at the house. "This…this is it!" he said, more to himself then to Snow. "We've been looking for this place. This is the home of the Fincher, isn't it?"

"How do you know?" Snow asked, confused.

"We've been hunting him," said the man, darkly. "The nearby villagers hired us to kill the sorcerer who has been carrying off their women. Apparently, the latest to be taken was the daughter of the local barkeep. Is that you?"

"N-no," said Snow. "I'm just…a traveler."

"Hm," said the man. "Do you know what happened to her?"

The horrible picture of the room behind the iron door flashed back into Snow's mind. A fresh wave of tears as she remembered what had become of poor Matilde threatened to crash over her. "She…she's gone…" Snow sobbed.

The man grunted, grimly. "I was afraid of that. I'd better get busy. I know I heard a Hunter's call. Was that you?"

"You mean this?" Snow asked, holding up the Huntsman's whistle.

The man nodded. "It's a special type of whistle hunter's use in case we're in trouble. Give it to me."

Snow complied and the man put the whistle to his lips and blew a few complicated notes. The sudden sounds of hurried footsteps marched through the woods, apparently in answer to the call.

"Who is that?" Snow asked. "Who's coming?"

"Backup," said the man, grinning.

Within moments another Hunter, a very tall man with black hair, came hurrying over to them. "Brother!" he cried. "Is this it? Is the Fincher within?"

"Yes," said the first Hunter.

The newcomer noticed Snow. "Who's she?" he asked.

"The lucky one," said the Hunter. "Hurry, brother! We need that spell!"

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The Fincher knew almost at once that something was the matter. There was something wrong with his security spell. Something didn't feel right. He hurried over to the door, determined to discover what had happened. As the Fincher arrived in the main hall and headed for the door and pulled to open it. But it wouldn't give. He tried again, pulling and pulling at it, but the door would not open. It was locked.

"What the…?" the Fincher began, but he then noticed something else. The marble floors and lush concrete columns were turning slowly into wood. The silver all throughout the house was turning into dry cloth, all the gems were fading into coal and the gold…all the beautiful gold…was turning into straw.

"No," the Fincher moaned as he stared around in horror as to what was happening to his glorious mansion. "No! No! This cannot be! It just can't be!"

Fincher hurried toward the window and stared outside. Three figures were standing in front of his house. A dazed maid with hair black as ebony and skin white as snow was leaning against a tree nearby. Before her were two men, _huntsmen_ by the looks of them. One was sitting in front of a small fire, burning herbs and chanting a spell the spell that was transforming his house. The second huntsman was standing upright, a bow and a flaming arrow in hand, the fiery tip pointed right at the house.

"NO!"

The huntsman shot the arrow and it shot through a window and into the house. The coals and wood and straw caught fire instantly and began to burn with an immense heat. Again and again, the huntsman shot burning arrows at the house, setting it ablaze.

Fincher ran for the cellar, terrified as the house was consumed in fire and smoke. He reached the iron door and headed for it. He needed what lay inside. He needed his power! His power would save him! But the moment he touched the handle of the iron door, he withdrew his hand immediately as the hot metal burned his flesh. He reached again, but it was pointless. The hot metal started to sear away the flesh of his hands and they would never be able to open the heavy door. He only pulled away when the pain was too unbearable to tolerate anymore. He screamed and screamed in agony and fear. His home, his world was burning and the only thing that could save him was behind a door that he could not open.

The Fincher hurried back to the main hall and looked out the window again. The woman met his gaze. _A woman_, he thought. _A woman who would betray me! She must have been the one in here before…she told these murderers were I was…she broke the security spell!_

Choking on smoke and overcome with heat, the Fincher raised his voice as loud as he could and called out to the woman, speaking directly to her.

"YOU ARE NO MORE FIT TO LIVE THAN I AM!" he called out to her. "YOU SHALL ABANDON YOUR CHILD TO THE CRUEL WORLD! IT HAS BEEN FORETOLD! YOU WILL ABANDON YOUR CHILD!"

Snow gasped and stepped away from the sight of the burning house, the horrible face pressed against the window.

"MARK MY WORDS!" Fincher screamed through the roar of the flames. "I WILL NOT REST IN PEACE! I WILL SEE YOU DESTROYED! MURDERERS! TRAITORS! I WILL DEFY THE GRAVE AND TAKE MY VENGENCE UPON YOU FOR THE CRIME YOU COMMIT AGAINST ME AND THE CHILD YOU SHALL FORSAKE!"

Snow couldn't take it anymore. She turned on the spot and ran into the woods, as hard and fast as her legs could carry her. The roar of the flames, the smell of the smoke, and the distant echo the Fincher's death screams chasing after her as she fled from the horror before her.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"_Time and space are nothing!_" Bird's ghost said. He stuck his terrible dead face right up to Dean, overwhelming him with the feeling of cold and the odor of death. "_For all this time I've tried to manifest and take my revenge against this fiend who betrayed me! I return and find that she is not alone! More unworthy whores who forsake their children plague this land! I shall see them all buried and YOU,_" he lifted Dean even higher. "_Shall join them!_"

Dean struggled to get free, but the ghost had a crushing grip on his, cutting into his windpipe. Lights were popping in front of his eyes as he struggled to breathe. Strangely enough, though, his only thought was, _hurry up, Sam!_

Just then, Bird disappeared again and Dean slid to the ground. David had recovered and had grabbed the board with the nail Dean had used a second ago. Bird appeared again and rushed at David, his eyes wide with rage. David slashed at the ghost with the plank, the nail tearing menacingly through the air at the ghost. Bird lunged but David parried expertly, warding the ghost off yet again. In the few seconds of silence, David looked over at Dean with an expression of surprise that matched exactly how Dean was feeling.

"Did…did you see that?" he asked.

Dean stared at him. "You work at an _animal shelter?_"

"Um, well, yeah," said David, awkwardly. "Just…I never knew that I could…"

"Hey!" Dean cried suddenly, but too late. Bird was back and he threw David yet again and slumped to the ground, knocked out again. Dean rushed to his defense. Bird bore down upon both of them, grabbing at their throats.

"_I will not be stopped in my divine mission!_" Bird hissed. "_You will not interfere…"_

Bird suddenly stopped, his eyes were wide with terror. "_My…my power_," he said, suddenly. "_My power. My power! No. No! NOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

There was a burst of fire as Bird was consumed by otherworldly flames. A long scream pierced the air but within seconds it faded into nothingness as the image of Bird vanished from before them. He was gone.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

A few miles away, in the ruined mess of torn up wood that had been Tarrent Bird's home a few hours earlier, Sam stood over a small fire he'd set. The axe that once belonged to Bird lay before him, charring and smoldering beneath the thick layer of salt beneath the flames. The job was done.


	18. Thanks

"What…what happened?"

Dean glanced around over his shoulder. David was conscious again and was looking around to see what had become of Bird. "Where…where did he go?"

"He's…gone," said Dean, thinking on his feet. "But not for long. Help me out!"

Dean quickly began to rouse Emma while David worked on freeing Mary Margaret and Ashley. After a few moments, Emma's eyes flicked open.

"Wh-where am I?" she asked, dazed.

"It's okay," said Dean. "We're in the woods."

"Henry…where's Henry?"

"Don't worry, he's safe," Dean assured her. "He's back in town. Come on, we gotta go."

Emma slowly sat up and saw the others. "Mary Margaret!" she cried. "Ashley! And…David, what are you doing here?"

"No time," Dean insisted. "We gotta go now!"

Dean led the way back out of the ruined basement with Emma and David half-dragging, half-carrying Ashley and Mary Margaret along with them. One by one, they climbed their way out of the hole and were back in the woods. Emma examined the other two women.

"They're dehydrated," she observed. "And a bit battered, but they don't look hurt. Dean, where was he? That guy…I saw him…"

"He's…" Dean began, but he was interrupted by an ominous rumbling sound. The foundation was crumbling. The five of them, scrambled to get away as the entire structure collapsed at their feet. The underground room had caved in. There was nothing left.

"…in there," Dean finished, lamely. Emma stared at him, incredulously.

Just then, at the top of the hill, small streams of light started waving in their direction. A few seconds later, a short man appeared at the top of the hill.

"They're here!" Leroy called over to the search party behind them. "They're over here! All of them!"

They were found at last.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"Snow!"

Ella threw open the back door of her stepmother's manor home and helped her friend inside. "Are you alright?" she gasped, helping Snow into a chair. "You look terrible!"

"You wouldn't believe what I've been through," Snow said, shakily.

Ella ran to grab a ragged blanket from her bed by the fireplace and covered Snow with it and pulled together a quick meal from the table scraps that her stepmother and stepsisters had left behind from supper. As Snow ate and made herself comfortable again, she told Ella the entire story of her encounter with the Fincher. Ella listened patiently the entire time, her hand over her mouth and her eyes wide with shock.

"I've heard of that sorcerer," Ella admitted. "There have been rumors in town. I remember my stepsisters wishing that I'd be the next to disappear."

"Heaven forbid," said Snow, grimly.

"But…he's gone?" Ella asked. "The house burned down with him still inside?"

"That's what happened," said Snow. "I saw him catch fire…I saw him burn…"

"How wretched," murmured Ella. "But from the sound of it, no less than he deserved. Are you alright? You're not hurt at all, are you?"

"No," said Snow. "I managed to make it out okay. But those birds…the crows…why did they protect me?"

"You don't think they could have been spirits, do you?" said Ella, wonderingly.

"Spirits?"

"It's something that I heard from the men in town," said Ella. "They were talking about how the sorcerer's victims don't just die, he keeps them around. Part of his power is that whomever he kills, their spirits stay around in the form of black birds. The spirits of his victims would only be free when he died."

"You think those birds were…those women that he killed?" said Snow, uncertainly. "I thought that no magic could bring back the dead."

"It can't, but they weren't really 'back to life' were they? They were just trapped in another form. Maybe that's why they protected you, to keep you from sharing their fate."

"And they showed me those huntsmen," said Snow, stunned as she realized this.

"Who were those men?" Ella asked. "Did you get their names?"

"No," said Snow. "When I saw the mansion burning I…panicked and ran. When I came back awhile later…they were gone."

"I've never heard of such men before," said Ella. "I wonder who they were."

"I don't know," said Snow. A sudden thought struck her at that moment, one that pulled at her heart and filled her with guilt. "I never…I never even got to say thank you."

"Maybe you will," said Ella, reassuringly. "Someday."

"Yes," said Snow, gazing off into the distance. "Someday, maybe…"

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Sam drove the car to the edge of the woods, where an ambulance waited to accept the injured women, David, and Dean. Sam had figured everything out as he'd burned Bird's axe to in the ruins of the old house. The story that this tied into was the story of the Fitcher's Bird, one of those Grimm Fairy Tales that Disney would have a heck of a time trying to make family friendly. It explained everything. The fetus eggs that they found represented of the eggs in the story that were meant to be tests for the sorcerer's victims. It had been the ghost's way of announcing Mary Margaret and Ashley as bad mothers.

Sam pulled up as he saw the red and blue lights of the ambulance flashing a few feet away from the woods, got out of the car, and hurried over. A crowd was gathering all over, people crying out gladly as they saw the missing women returned. Ambulance workers did everything they could to try and pry Ashley out of Sean's arms so they could get a good look at her. Mary Margaret and David were joined at the hip while a doctor examined her. Sydney Glass was running around the scene and rapidly taking pictures of all the victims, claiming what a story this would make.

Dean was sitting off to the side and grinning as he saw everything. It was the first time he'd had this "job well done" feeling in a long time. There was something satisfactory about all this. He saw Sam coming over and smiled at his brother. "You were right on time," he said. "Another second and that freak vengeful spirit would have had us all."

"Dealing with Gold was tougher than I thought," said Sam. "Everyone okay?"

"Yeah," said Dean. "The first two were dehydrated, starved, and a bit beat up, but nothing serious. They were pretty lucky. By the way," he turned to Sam. "That guy…it was the weirdest thing…"

"What was?" Sam asked.

"I dunno it was like…almost like he…recognized me," said Dean, thoughtfully.

"But…we've never been here before," said Sam, puzzled.

"Sam! Dean!"

Ruby from the diner was coming over to them, followed by Emma. A clean, white bandage was wrapped tightly around the Sherriff's head, but other then that, she looked completely fine.

"You guys are heroes!" Ruby cried, flinging her arms around Sam, who looked very surprised. "I can't believe you did it! You're amazing! I can finally sleep at night again. That freak of nature isn't going to come after us anymore, thanks to you!"

Sam and Dean glanced at each other. "Um," said Sam. "That's a bit of an over exaggeration…"

"Come on," said Ruby, pulling on Sam's arm. "I wanna show you to Granny!"

"But…but…!" Sam tried to protest, but he was forced to submit to the surprisingly strong girl. Emma and Dean laughed as they watched him go.

"Well," said Emma. "I just got done telling everyone that the nutcase responsible for all this is lost in the rubble back there. There's no way he could have survived."

"Good," said Dean, avoiding Emma's truth-seeking gaze.

Emma grinned. "I know it wasn't you. I got a good look at him just before he knocked me out. Still, that doesn't mean you're not still in trouble."

"What did I do this time?" said Dean, startled.

"Oh, I don't know," said Emma, but she was smirking. "It's just that the fire department got a call a few moments ago from the Mayor's house and, when they tried to break down the door, they didn't realize that the Mayor herself was handcuffed to the doorknob on the other side. The door swung open too fast and hit her in the face and…well,…"

She jerked her head over her shoulder and Dean followed her gaze. In another ambulance apart from the one caring for Mary Margaret and Ashley, Regina was sitting alongside a perfectly content-looking Henry. She was holding a bloody rag to her nose and was giving Dean a look that, if looks could kill, would have him dead a good fifty times over.

Dean had no shame in the matter. In fact, he burst out laughing, and Emma with him. "I'm not even sorry!" he admitted between gales of laughter.

Emma laughed too, her eyes tearing up. "Well, if it wasn't such an eventful night, I might have to arrest you but, given the circumstances, I'll call it a wash."

"I appreciate that," said Dean. He looked over at Henry again and then back to Emma. "So…that kid…he's yours?"

The laughter died from Emma's face and she pulled a sad smile and shrugged. "I was eighteen," she told him. "Young…stupid…just got out of the foster system…there was no way I could take care of a kid. But, he found me. A few months ago he showed up at my doorstep in Boston and told me everything. I took him back here and…when I saw the life he had…when I saw he wasn't…happy…."

"You stayed," said Dean, helpfully.

"Yeah," said Emma. "I stayed. I gave Henry up because I wanted him to have his best chance. I just wanted to make sure he was okay. But then I got a job as deputy and then," she sighed again. "Graham…the last Sherriff…died, and I ran to take his place. Mary Margaret let me stay with her and…things have just kind of fallen into place since then."

"The last Sherriff died?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," said Emma, heavily. "His heart gave out. Totally out of the blue, it makes no sense. But…natural causes…what can you do?"

"Hm," said Dean, unsure of how he felt about that. Emma was called over by the doctors who said they weren't done looking at her. Sam managed to shake off the crowd and the two brothers decided to leave the scene.

As they made their way to the car, Mary Margaret looked up and saw them. She'd been listening to what Ruby had been boasting about. How the Detective from Boston and his stepbrother had helped to save them all. She saw their retreating backs and was suddenly overtaken by an impulse…an impulse she couldn't control. Barely thinking about what she was doing, she slipped out of the ambulance, threw off the blanket she'd had wrapped around her shoulders and ran after them.

"Mary Margaret!" David called after her. She barely heard him.

"Wait!" she cried. "Wait! Wait, stop!"

The two brothers turned around. The young woman hurried over to them, glanced at their faces, burst into tears, and flung her arms around the both of them. The brothers stood there, stunned as the woman embraced them.

"Thank you," she sobbed. "Thank you! I just couldn't let you go…without saying it. Thank you so much!"

The brothers exchanged stunned looks and then Dean slowly eased Mary Margaret off them. "No problem," he said, with a slight smile. "Don't worry about it."

Mary Margaret nodded and wiped her tears away. "Thank you," she said again. "Thank you for everything." Then she hurried back over to David.

Sam and Dean couldn't help the smiles that crossed their faces as they looked back at the dark-haired woman. Although they pretty much saved people all the time, people rarely ever said thank you, which made it all the more special when they did.

**Ying-Fa: One more chapter to go before the end! I appreciate everyone who has stuck with me thus far! See you in the finale!**


	19. Leaving Storybrooke

Shortly after dawn the very next day, Sam and Dean got their stuff together and loaded up the car again. The case was closed and it was time for them to move on. When they knew that both Ruby and her Granny were still asleep, they checked themselves out of the bed and breakfast and pulled out of the driveway. Storybrooke was oddly quiet this early in the morning. Without the bustle of comers and goers through the little streets, the place had an abandoned, empty feel to it. In a matter of hours, the town would come back to life and go about its business as usual, but slightly different than it had been before. Sam and Dean had made an impact on the town whether they liked it or not. They were something that would be remembered, spoken of when topics for gossip were scarce, glorified as the stuff of legend until no one really knew what the truth was anymore.

They drove by the self-operated gas station before leaving town, Dean filling up the car while Sam kept a lookout. They wanted to leave quickly and quietly. It didn't do well for hunters to stay in the same place too long after a case.

"Still, we might have been able to leave later if you hadn't handcuffed the mayor to her front door," said Sam, pointedly.

"She had it comin'," Dean argued, his hand on the gas pump. "Besides, what's she gonna do? Make us eat a poison apple?"

"I wouldn't put it past her," Sam said, darkly.

Dean chuckled. "You really took that fairy tale crap seriously, didn't you Sammy?"

"Well, let's face it Dean," said Sam. "We've seen some pretty weird stuff before. Why is this so impossible to believe? I mean, when you look at it, a lot of things made sense. And even you have to admit, when are things just coincidences for us? Us, Dean."

"I'll give you that," said Dean, shaking the pump to get those last few drops of gasoline into the car before he hung up the pump and paid. "Well, either way, we got the job done. That's what matters, right?"

"I guess so," said Sam. He glanced around at the quiet down and his face pulled into a melancholy half-smile. "I like this place, though. Kinda hate to leave."

"We always leave," said Dean, shrugging. "Besides there's always a case happening somewhere, right?"

"Right," Sam agreed.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?"

The boys jumped. Neither of them had noticed Emma striding over to them, grinning and looking completely recovered from last night's encounter.

"Emma," said Dean, feeling suddenly flustered. "H-how are you doing?"

"Not bad," Emma replied. "It'll take more than a hit on the head to get rid of me, that's for sure."

"How's Mary Margaret?" Sam asked. "Ashley? Henry?"

"Fine," Emma said. "Everyone's okay." She grinned at the boys. "Y'know they feel like they owe you their lives. This could have turned out way differently if you hadn't shown up." She looked from one brother to the other, her face becoming more serious by the second. "I haven't really had a place to call home in a long time and this town is the closest thing I've had. You helped protect it…so…thanks."

The brothers exchanged a look that was half startled, half ironic. Finally, Dean turned to Emma and smiled. "We were just trying to help, honest."

"And I appreciate it," said Emma. She noticed the car. "You guys leaving?"

"Gotta get back," said Dean, dismissively.

Emma nodded. "Probably for the best. Apparently, Regina wants you both behind bars and she's just the kind of person to find something random to charge you with."

The brothers shared a humorless laugh. "I told you mayors were always evil," said Dean to Sam. He then turned back to Emma. "We'll get out of your way then, Sheriff."

Emma smiled. "Good luck, then."

The boys then climbed into the car and Dean turned the key to start the engine. Just before they drove away, Emma called after them again.

"Hey!"

Sam and Dean stuck their heads out the windows to hear her.

"As far as I'm concerned…you guys can come back anytime." And with that, the Sheriff of Storybrooke walked over to her Beetle, slipped inside, and drove away.

Sam and Dean started driving in the opposite direction, Dean grinning ear to ear. Sam noticed. "You hear that, Dean? Can come back anytime, eh? That's practically an invitation."

"Dude, shut up," Dean said, knowing where Sam was going with this.

"Y'know, you and she kinda have a lot in common…"

"Shut up, Sam."

"You said she was hot. If she wants to get to know you better…"

"Dude, don't make me hit you."

Sam teased and Dean snapped all the way through the town. As they drove down the forest path, they passed the brilliant green road sign with the bold, white letters spelling out "Leaving Storybrooke". And just like that, Sam and Dean left the tiny town far behind.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Just as the boys left town, Mr. Gold opened his ledger and picked up a pen to write. He spared just a moment to glance at the amulet that he'd acquired from Sam, which was resting on a display placed on the glass counter of his shop. Mr. Gold smiled at the item and turned his attention to the ledger. Inside were the names of everyone in town, the names of nearly every citizen in Storybrooke. The most recent name that had been added was Emma Swan.

In the empty space underneath Emma's name, Mr. Gold wrote down a new name. _Sam Winchester_. Underneath that one, he wrote a second name. _Dean Winchester._ Then he drew and arrow connecting the two names together and, at the point he wrote one final word. _Brothers._

Mr. Gold smiled at the latest entry and closed the book with a snap.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

**Ying-Fa: That's the end! I should like to write more Once Upon A Time/Supernatural stories in the future. Anyone interested? Well, until then, I bid you adieu.**

**I feel so grateful! Thank you:**

**Dede42, BloodyTink, E, 16, miki, ScrollPirate, Dq, brghd nbl, slacker, Lady Shagging Godiva, Deanwinchesterrocks, Payton's Sister, Anon E Mouse, anon, quoththeraven5, Ormus45, johnny, Elegant Soul, and everyone who put this story or me to their Favorites/Alerts lists. This has been Ying-Fa-Dono. Good night and good luck!**


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